Muzaffarnagar: A local court today acquitted ten persons in connection with the killing of a woman and a boy during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots due to lack of evidence.
At a time when assembly bypoll to the Muzaffarnagar seat is just a week ahead, i.e. on February 13, the verdict has come as a shot in the arm for the BJP. Suresh Rana, one of the main accused in the riots and BJP MLA from Thana Bhawan in Shamli district, said, “The verdict has exposed the reality in front of the public. It is the first case of the riots in which accused were acquitted by the court.
Additional District and Sessions judge Arvind Kumar Upadhyay acquitted the persons who were accused of burning a 30-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy alive as well as severely injuring another woman at Lank village during the Muzaffarnagar riots.
According to the prosecution, the persons were also accused of rioting in the area.
A case was filed against them under relevant sections of IPC on the complaint of family members of the victims.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the riots had filed a charge sheet against the accused.