#Muzaffarnagar riots accused Maulana faces mob ire in Uttar Pradesh

A large number of followers of riot accused Maulana Nazeer Ahmad assembled at Ghaziabad’s Muradnagar Madrasa on Friday night, demanding the arrest of attackers.

Two years after communal clashes hit Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, Irfan Ahmad Qasmi, son of riot accused Maulana Nazeer Ahmad, has filed a complaint at the Jansath police in Ghaziabad district, alleging that his father was attacked by members of Hindu outfits on Thursday night. Maulana is considered close to Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A large number of followers of Nazeer assembled at Ghaziabad’s Muradnagar Madrasa on Friday night, demanding the arrest of attackers. They have given an ultimatum to the state government, asking it to arrest over 100 attackers and book them under the National Security Act (NSA) by August 30 or get ready for an unpleasant situation.

Dhananjay Mishra, the police inspector who is investigating the case, said, “We have registered an FIR against 100 people for attacking the Maulana and action has been initiated to identify and arrest accused.”

Nazeer’s car was damaged by a crowd allegedly owing allegiance to some Hindu organisations during a protest march against transportation of illegal beef. The local people had intercepted two wagons carrying beef despite possessing licence.

Meanwhile, personnel of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Uttar Pradesh Police have been deployed in Jansath area following tension between two communities over illegal transportation of beef and attack on Nazeer’s car. Nazeer was passing through the area during the protest rally.

However, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Baliyan brushed aside the allegations, saying the attack on the riot accused was only an accident.

“While people were pelting stones, one stray stone hit maulana’s car. Now he is trying to communalise the incident,” said the Union minister. Baliyan is also an accused in Muzaffarnagar riots.

Earlier, at a time when a court had issued a warrant against Nazeer for his alleged role in the riots, Mulayam sent a chartered aircraft for him to attend a function in Lucknow in November 2013.

The Union minister said although his party was in favour of a CBI probe into Muzaffarnagar riots of August-September 2013, the SP government in the state was not ready for it.

“Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had written to the state government to recommend a CBI probe. But it was ignored by the SP government. We had moved the Supreme Court for the same, but didn’t get any directive. Now only option left with us is to form a government in UP in 2017 and order a CBI inquiry”, he said in Mallikpur of Muzaffarnagar after attending the second death anniversary of Sachin and Gaurav Mallik, who were killed allegedly by one Shahnawaz Qureshi on August 28. Qureshi was fatally attacked by his cousins because he used to molest their sisters.

The incident triggered a largescale communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat, in which over 50 people were killed and over 50,000 people were rendered homeless. More than 5,000 people are still living in make-shift camps in adjoining Shamli district.