NEW DELHI/MUZAFFARNAGAR — A fast-track court in Muzaffarnagar has acquitted 16 Muslim men facing serious charges related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, saying the prosecution failed to present credible evidence. The court’s decision came as a relief for the accused, who had spent over a decade under the cloud of allegations stemming from one of India’s most infamous communal flare-ups.
The Additional District Judge Nishant Singla passed the order on Tuesday, acquitting all the accused due to lack of sufficient evidence presented by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Special Public Prosecutor Narendra Sharma said, “The SIT had filed a charge sheet against 16 people based on the complaint and their investigation, but the court said the charges could not be proven beyond a doubt.”
Those acquitted include Nazar Mohammad, Qasim, Zaheer, Gayur, Mir Hasan, Khalid, Gulsher, Shamshad, Mustafa, Jan Mohammad, Asgar, Farooq, Anwar, another Jan Mohammad, Javed, and Mohammad Ayub — all residents of Nagla Buzurg village in Muzaffarnagar.
All 16 were accused of attacking a tractor-trolley carrying several individuals, including one Sohanveer Singh, using sharp weapons and sticks. Singh reportedly died in the attack, and several others were injured. The FIR was registered by Singh’s son, Jogendra Singh, at the Bhopa police station.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, the SIT failed to provide strong forensic or eyewitness evidence to establish guilt.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
