2013 Muzaffarnagar riots cases: Eight years on, over 1,100 acquitted, seven convicted
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Sep 7: Eight years since the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, 1,117 people accused in 97 cases related to murder, rape, robbery and arson among others connected to the violence have been acquitted over lack of evidence.
Seven people were convicted in a single case related to the murder of two youths, Sachin and Gaurav, in Kawal village in the district.
This, together with the stabbing to death of another person, Shahnawaz, on August 27, 2013 by six people had triggered the riots, according to police.
A special investigation team (SIT) was set up by the state government to look into the riots cases.
According to officials of the SIT, police had registered 510 cases against 1,480 people and filed chargesheets in 175 cases.
An official of the SIT said that over the years, 97 cases have been decided by a court which has acquitted 1,117 people accused in those due to lack of evidence.
The prosecution has not filed an appeal in any of these cases, he said.
The seven people convicted in the Kawal village double-murder case were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The SIT could not be file chargesheets in 20 cases under sections 153A and 295A of the IPC since it did not get permission for prosecution from the state government.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to withdraw 77 cases related to the riots, but the court has given permission for withdrawal in just one case which is against 12 BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana, BJP MLA Sangit Som, former BJP MP Bhartendu Singh and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi.
SIT officials said 264 accused in the riots cases were facing trial at present.
Over 60 people were killed and more than 40,000 displaced during the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
