Police have failed to arrest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Bharatendra Singh, accused of making provocative speech at a farmers’ gathering that led to the communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar.
While Singh was traced in Dehradun at his mother’s residence, police failed to nab him in the absence of an arrest warrant.
Apart from Singh, BJP MLA Hukum Singh and Suresh Rana have also been accused of making inflammatory speeches leading to communal flare-up.
47 people have been killed and around 40,000 people have taken refuge in more than 30 relief camps set up in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts after riots broke out in the area.
The toll has been highest in Muzaffarnagar (38) while the other deaths were reported from Shamli (3), Saharanpur (1), Baghpat (3) and Meerut (2).
So far 11,000 people have been placed under preventive detention, while 187 have been arrested and 11 of them have cases of murder slapped against them, a home department official said.
The administration has distributed medicines, food and milk packets among other essential items at the relief camps.
—IANS