2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case: Court acquits 37 in murder of eight Muslims after 13 years

Some shops burnt down by rioters at Muzaffarnagar on September 10, 2013. File

Citing absence of evidence against them, a Muzaffarnagar court recently acquitted 37 persons accused in the murder of eight Muslims during the communal violence that rocked the district 13 years ago, in 2013.

The communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in August-September 2013 left over 60 dead. Dubbed as ‘worst riots in Uttar Pradesh’ in the recent past, the riots also left around 50,000 displaced who are still living in the rehabilitation colonies set up by the government. The Army was deployed to ensure law and order in the area and over 500 FIRs were lodged against hundreds of identified and unidentified persons for crimes such as murder, gangrapes, loot, arson among others.

2013 Muzaffarnagar riots cases | Eight years on, over 1,100 acquitted, just seven convicted

In one of such incidents, Mohd. Imran, a native of Kutba village in Muzaffarnagar, had alleged that a mob of around 100 people, armed with sharp-edged weapons, attacked houses belonging to members of the minority community on September 8, 2013. Several homes were set on fire and properties of Muslims were looted, the complainant had alleged.

Following the complaint, police had booked 37 Hindu men for the crime. Eight of the accused died during the trial.

On February 20, 2026, Additional District and Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotiya, acquitted all the accused, citing absence of proof against them.

This is not the first case in which the accused were acquitted for want of proof.

A court, earlier this month, had acquitted 22 people in connection with a murder, loot and arson case linked to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, citing lack of evidence.

“In over a decade-long trial, 31 witnesses were produced in the court among which most turned hostile”, a lawyer associated with the case told The Hindu.

Former government counsel in Muzaffarnagar, Dushyant Tyagi confirmed to The Hindu that all the accused got clean chit in around 95 cases in last 13 years. He added that the prosecution never bothered to file an appeal in almost all these cases.

“Conviction happened in one of the gang rape case and in one murder case. The SIT submitted final report in several cases stating that the same cannot be investigated further,” said Mr. Tyagi.

He added that the number of FIRs were also reduced during trial as it was found that duplicate cases were lodged pertaining to same crime.

A report submitted in the Supreme Court in 2021 stated that the Uttar Pradesh government had proposed to withdraw 77 cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots. In one of these cases,12 BJP leaders, including former Minister Suresh Rana, former BJP MLA Sangit Som, former BJP MP Bhartendu Singh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sadhvi Prachi, were accused of giving hate speeches.

Uttar Pradesh / Lucknow / state politics / riots / judiciary (system of justice) / crime, law and justice / justice and rights / India