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2013 Muzaffarnagar riots

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2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots
Part of Religious violence in India
Location of riots
Date27 August 2013 (2013-08-27) – 17 September 2013 (2013-09-17)
Location
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

29°22′N 77°50′E / 29.36°N 77.83°E / 29.36; 77.83
Caused byAltercation between Hindu Jats and Muslims at Kawal village, Muzaffarnagar district on 27 August[1][2]
MethodsKilling, arson, looting
Parties
Unidentified
Casualties
Deaths62 deaths (20 Hindus & 2 Unidentified)
Injuries93[3]
Arrested200[4]
Detained10,000 detented[3]

The 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots were religious clashes between the Hindus and Muslims in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India.[5] A total of 62 died in the clashes, 42 of whom were Muslims, and 20 Hindu. More than 50,000 people were displaced.

The inciting incident was the killing of a Muslim man by two Hindu cousins, Gaurav and Sachin Singh, on 27 August in the village of Kawal; sources describe the motive as arising from either a traffic altercation or sexual harassment of one of the cousins' relatives. A Muslim mob killed the cousins as they tried to flee. Violence escalated over the following week, fueled in part by a perception that local police were reluctant to apprehend the cousins' killers.[6] On 7 September, a mahapanchayat assembly was called, and was attended by over 100,000 people and politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Bharatiya Kisan Union, and the Congress Party; police described the rhetoric at the assembly as inflammatory.[7] Widespread rioting broke out the following day, and the army was brought in to attempt to restore order and to evacuate Muslims to Muslim-majority villages.[8] By 17 September, the curfew was lifted from all riot affected areas and the army was withdrawn.[9] The refugee crisis created by the riots persisted for years afterward.[10]

The riot was described as "the worst violence in Uttar Pradesh in recent history", and was the first time in 20 years the army was deployed in the state.[11] 97 legal cases were launched involving accusations against more than 1,000 people, most of whom were acquitted over the next decade; seven were convicted of the murder of the Singh cousins.[12] The Supreme Court of India, while hearing petitions in relation to the riots, held the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party guilty prima facie of negligence in preventing the violence and ordered it to immediately arrest all those accused irrespective of their political affiliation. The Court also blamed the Central government for its failure to provide intelligence inputs to the Samajwadi Party-governed state government in time to help sound alerts.[13] In 2021, a local court allowed the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government to withdraw a case of inciting violence against 12 BJP leaders involved in the riots.[14]

In 2022 Vikram Singh Saini, a BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly, and 11 others were sentenced to two years' imprisonment by a special court that convicted them of rioting and other offences.[15]

Initial clashes

[edit]

On 21 August 2013, communal clashes were reported from Muzaffarnagar and police registered cases against 150 people and 14 persons were taken into custody. Clashes between two communities, Hindus and Muslims, in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar, grew on 27 August 2013. The original cause of the rioting is disputed.[16] In this case, the cause of this rioting alternates between a traffic accident and an eve-teasing incident. According to the first version, the cause was a minor traffic accident involving some youths which then spiralled out of control when it eventually took on religious overtones.[17] In the second version, a girl from the community was allegedly harassed in an eve-teasing incident by one Muslim youth in the village of Kawal.[18][19] In retaliation, relatives of the girl in question, cousins Sachin Singh and Gaurav Singh,[20][21] killed the youth named Shahnawaz Qureshi.[20] The two Singhs were lynched by a Muslim mob when they tried to escape.[21] The police arrested eleven members of the girl's family for killing the Muslim youth.[19] According to Zee News report some locals, the police did not act against the killers of the Singhs.[19] According to police records, the Singhs picked a fight with Qureshi over a motorcycle accident. While it has been widely reported that the fight was sparked off when Qureshi harassed the Singhs' cousin sister, the first information report (FIR) about the murder makes no mention of sexual harassment or molestation.[17] According to the other version, the girl who was allegedly harassed by Shahnawaz Qureshi commented that she had not gone to Kawal and did not know anyone named Shahnawaz.[6]

In the FIR registered for Qureshi's death, five people along with Sachin and Gaurav Singh were named as responsible for his death. The reports mentions that the seven men entered Qureshi's home, took him out and killed him with swords and knives; he died on the way to the hospital.[6] In the FIR registers for Sachin and Gaurav Singh's death, seven other men were reported to be responsible; that episode was sparked by an altercation after Gaurav was involved in a bike accident.[6] After news of the killings spread, members of both communities attacked each other. The police took possession of the three dead bodies, and temporarily brought the situation under control. The authorities also deployed Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel to Kawal.[22]

In September 2013, fresh riots sparked off and around 11 people including TV journalist Rajesh Verma were killed and more than 34 were injured after which indefinite curfew was clamped and the army deployed to help maintain law and order.[23]

Gathering of masses

[edit]

The killings in Kawal village started echoing across the district. On 30 August, two days after the incident, despite a ban on assemblies of crowds, Muslim religious leaders gathered after Friday prayers and local Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress leaders had hijacked the Muslim meeting to demand justice for the Kawal incident and made inflammatory speeches.[24][25] Also, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders allegedly gave an incendiary speech instigating the Hindu farmers on 31 August. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against all the leaders. After the meeting, the Jats were attacked and killed on their way home by Muslim assailants with assault rifles and weapons.[26][24]

Tension was increased by the circulation of a video that purported to show the murder of the Singh cousins but was actually footage of unrelated violence in Pakistan from several years earlier.[27][28]

By 31 August 2013, five FIRs were registered in connection with the case and eleven people were arrested and booked under various charges, including that of rioting and murder. Police arrested several Bhartiya Janta Party leaders for inciting communal violence including Sangeet Som, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Dharamvir Baliyan, party's district president Ajit Rathi and ten other political activists when they tried to visit communal violence hit Kawal village of Muzaffarnagar district.[29]

Mahapanchayat in Nagla Mandaur and ambush at the Jouli canal

[edit]

Clashes between the two communities occurred at low frequencies for the next two weeks. In response to the killing of the Singh cousins, a village council (mahapanchayat) was called in the village of Nagla Mandaur on 7 September under the banner of "Bahu-Beti Bachao" (save our daughters and daughters-in-law), and was attended by more than 100,000 Hindus.[30][31]The district administration, despite having issued special curfews under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, allowed the event to go on.[30] Many attendees carried swords or guns.[32] Reviewing footage of the assembly, NDTV described several speeches delivered by BJP politicians as incendiary; Hukum Singh told the crowd that violence committed by minorities was being ignored by the government, and he declared to a journalist that "The purpose of this panchayat is Hindu unity."[32] According to police statements reported by the Indian Express, a few participants in the mahapanchayat captured a man named Insaar Vakeel in the nearby village of Shahpur with the intention of bringing him as a prize to the mahapanchayat; he was killed trying to escape.[31]

That evening, around 2,000 Hindus returning from the assembly were ambushed by a Muslim mob armed with assault rifles and machetes near the village of Jouli.[26] The mobs set fire to 18 tractor trolleys and 3 motorbikes. According to an eyewitness account, the bodies were dumped into a nearby canal.[26] Although six bodies were recovered, it was rumoured that hundreds were missing.[26] Bodies of three Hindus were found at the site of violence and the bodies of three Hindus were fished out from Jauli Canal.[33] Survivors of the Jauli Canal incident added that policemen who were watching the assault did not help the victims, as the police said that "they do not have orders to act".[30] The District Magistrate agreed that many people were missing, but expressed doubt as to whether they had been killed or had fled.[26] Officials placed the death toll as high as 11.[30] At least 30 people were arrested in connection with the riots.[34]

Riots and army evacuations

[edit]

The canal incident aroused Jats to go on a rampage against Muslims.[26] This led to the riots, which killed 20 Hindu and 42 Muslim people.[5][35] An eyewitness in Kutba reported that Jat rioters burned down a mosque before attacking homes of Muslims.[28] The casualties occurred before the Army was deployed and a curfew was imposed in Muzaffarnagar and its surrounding Shamli district. On 8 September, the army began evacuating Muslims to Muslim-majority villages such as Bassi Kalan in Shamli.[8]

Approximately 1,000 army troops were deployed and curfew was imposed in the violence-hit areas. 10,000 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel, 1,300 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and 1,200 Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed to control the situation.[36] Around 10,000 to 12,000 preventive arrests were made by the police as of 11 September 2013. They cancelled 2,300 arms licenses, seized 2,000 arms, and filed seven cases under the National Security Act.[3]

Even with the curfew and the deployment of the army, the clashes continued for the next three days, with casualties increasing to 62 by 12 September. A state home department official said that 62 people died in Muzaffarnagar, 9 each in Baghpat and Ghaziabad, and five each in Saharanpur and Meerut, two each in Bijnor and Shamli.[37] By 17 September, 42,000 people had been evacuated or otherwise displaced from their homes.[8] Ultimately, approximately 50,000 people were displaced.[9] Some of them took shelter at ten state-run relief camps.[3]

Sexual violence

[edit]

The first case of gang-rape was registered in the aftermath of the riots from the village of Fugana in Jogiya Kheda.[38] Later two more cases of rape were registered in October.[39] It was reported on 15 November 2013 that a total of 13 rape and sexual harassment cases were registered over the past two months of rioting and the report named 111 people in the incidents but no arrests had been made by that point.[40]

Aftermath

[edit]

Mahapanchayat in Sardhana

[edit]

A Mahapanchayat (grand council) of 40 villages was held in Khera, Sardhana on 29 September 2013 to protest against the Uttar Pradesh government charging the local BJP MLA Sangeet Singh Som under the National Security Act. The crowd became violent when the police began to brandish sticks. The situation turned tense when a rumour spread that a youth injured in police action had died. Crowd set fire police jeeps and other vehicles.[41]

Repercussions

[edit]

On 30 October 3 people were killed and 1 injured after a clash between two communities in Mohammadpur Raisingh village of Muzaffarnagar district. Police forces were deployed and an alert was sounded in the entire district. The incident is widely seen as repercussion of the violence in September.[42] On 4 July 2014, a local court has recorded the statement of a witness and deferred until 16 July the hearing in the Kawal killing case here.[43]

Return to villages

[edit]

Some Muslims evacuees returned to their homes over the next several months after the riots.[44] As of January 2014, about 15,000 refused to do so out of fear of further violence.[45]

Investigation

[edit]

Seventeen FIRs have been lodged against leaders including one for the Mahapanchayat (great council) which organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union leaders.[4][7] The Uttar Pradesh Government announced a one-member judicial commission composed of Justice Vishnu Sahay, a retired Allahabad High Court judge on 9 September 2013. The commission has been asked to submit a report about the violence within two months.[46] The UP government also removed five senior officials of the police and the administration from Muzaffarnagar for their poor handling of the situation.[47]

Misuse of social media

[edit]

Chief Judicial Magistrate issued non-bailable warrants against 16 politicians. On 20 August 2013, BSP MP Kadir Rana was booked for his alleged hate speech in Khalapar area of the city. He was absconding but surrendered on 17 December 2013 and was sent to judicial custody.[48] BJP MLA Sangeet Som was arrested for allegedly uploading a fake video that shows a Muslim mob brutally murdering a Hindu youth and delivering provocative speeches.[49][50][51][52]

Sting operation

[edit]

A sting operation done by Headlines Today revealed that UP Cabinet Minister Azam Khan had ordered police officers to release Muslims and not take action against them.[53][54] Khan denied the claims.[55]

Convictions

[edit]

In 2022, BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini along with 11 others were sentenced to two years imprisonment by a special court which convicted them of rioting and other offences.[15] On 9 May 2023, two men were convicted for gang rape of a Muslim woman by a trial court in Muzaffarnagar receiving 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine.[56]

Response

[edit]

Political parties such as Bahujan Samaj Party,[57] Bharatiya Janata Party,[58] Rashtriya Lok Dal[59] and Muslim organizations including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind[60] demanded the dismissal of ruling Samajwadi Party government and imposition of President's rule in the state. According to a report in The Caravan, one reason for the hesitation may have been the response to a law and order directive weeks before the riots. Despite a ban on the activities of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, many of the organisations activists' managed to reach Ayodhya for a campaign. Akhilesh's government may have feared a similar undermining of their authority if they tried to ban the meeting of Mahapanchayat[61].

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde informed the press he had already warned the Uttar Pradesh government about the escalating communal tensions there, for which Akhilesh Yadav had promised preventive measures.[62]

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Minority Welfare Minister Azam Khan was absent from Party's national executive meeting which was held at Agra. He is reportedly unhappy with the manner in which the district administration handled the situation in Muzaffarnagar.[63]

Sompal Shastri, who was a candidate of Samajwadi Party from Baghpat, refused to contest 2014 Loksabha polls.[64]

In a Public Interest Litigation filed by, among others, a reported victim of the violence (Mohammed Haroon), in the Supreme Court, the number of deaths was estimated at more than 200.[61]

Relief camps

[edit]

State Government has organised relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts for riot victims of 9,000 families, with over 50,000 members. [65] According to district magistrates of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, 3,500 families comprising over 23,000 members in Muzaffarnagar and 3,000 families consisting of over 15,000 persons are staying in camps in Shamli.[65]

In Muzaffarnagar, there are three relief camps where about 1,000 persons of one community have taken shelter while about 3,200 families of another community are staying in another 2 camps. In Shamli, they are running 14 relief camps where foodgrains, milk, and water are provided to the families.[65]

Deaths in camps

[edit]

As of 22 October 2013, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has said that seven deaths have occurred in the Loi relief camp in the aftermath of last month's riots in Muzaffarnagar even as organisers at Malakpur camp in Shamli district admitted that eight babies died at the camp. In Joula camp out of 30 deliveries in the camp three babies had died. [66] In December, Al Jazeera English reported that an additional 30 children had "died due to the harsh cold".[67]

Long-term situation

[edit]

Three years after the riots, several nongovernmental organisations estimated that 30,000 displaced Muslims remained in 65 refugee camps, split between Muzaffarnagar and Shamli.[68] The majority of these camps lacked drinking water, street lights, drainage, or public toilets.[10] In the assessment of Harsh Mander and other social activists examining the situation, most refugees felt it was not safe to return to their original homes because of the state's failure to prosecute rioters or to attempt an organised reconciliation process.[68][10] Many of the refugees, who had previously been agricultural workers, fell into debt bondage working in brick kilns.[10] The report of Mander and others was turned into a book, Living Apart.

Media portrayals

[edit]

'Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai/Muzaffarnagar Eventually', a documentary film by Nakul Singh Sawhney did an in-depth analysis of the riots. The film was screened across 200 Universities in Canada, the US, Europe and India. The filmmaker was attacked by the Hindu nationalist ABVP during the screening of the film at Delhi University. As a result, there were 100s of protest screenings in India a month later. Rohith Vemula, a student of Hyderabad Central University was also penalised for organising the screening of the film that exposed the role of the right-wing Hindu fundamentalists in engineering the riots for electoral dividends in the General elections of 2014 that took place six months after the riots.

The book Living Apart: Communal violence and forced displacement in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, based on a field report conducted between March and July 2016 by Harsh Mander and others, chronicles the lives of the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots and reflects on the violence that occurred. The book also offers criticism for the apparent apathy of the state government for the victims.[69][70][71][72]

The novella In The Name of Blasphemy, written by Neeraj Agnihotri, is also set in the backdrop of Muzaffarnagar riots, talking mainly about the suffering and brutality caused by the riots in the name of religion.[73] Joe Sacco's graphic novel The Once and Future Riot depicts the riots and their aftermath.[74]

Censure and indictment

[edit]

A report composed by a six-member team of the Center for Policy Analysis (a non-profit, known for its advocacy in issues in Indian politics), comprising Harsh Mander, Kamal Chenoy, John Dayal, Seema Mustafa, Sukumar Muralidharan, and E.N. Rammohan, censured members of the Samajwadi Party(SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their role in the violence. According to the report, the violence was

seen to be a choreographed spectacle in which the SP and the BJP would create sharp polarisation on communal grounds, compelling the electorate to make a choice between them and squeezing out other parties which have been claiming significant shares of popular vote.[75]

The Justice Vishnu Sahai commission, which made an enquiry into the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, blamed members of the SP and the BJP for being involved in the violence. The commission also blamed senior police and administrative officials for errors which led to the escalation of the violence.[76]

On 12 October 2022, BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini was convicted and sentenced to 2-years in prison in the riots case.[77][78] Saini along with 11 others were sentenced to two years imprisonment by a special MP/MLA court which convicted them of rioting and other offences and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each.[79][80]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Rai, Rajat (7 September 2013). "Journalist and a photographer killed in fresh communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, army deployed as curfew imposed". India Today. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Bhalla, Nita (19 September 2013). "Fear stalks displaced Muslims after Muzaffarnagar riots". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Muzaffarnagar violence: Over 10,000 displaced; 10,000 arrested". The Times of India. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Muzaffarnagar clashes: UP on edge, Akhilesh govt struggles to contain riots". The Times of India. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Government releases data of riot victims identifying religion". The Times of India. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jain, Sreenivasan (14 September 2013). "The Mystery of Kawwal: Were Muzaffarnagar riots based on distortion of facts?". NDTV. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  7. 1 2 Pandey, Devesh K. (8 September 2013). "Muzaffarnagar toll mounts to 21". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 "Fear and Loathing in North India's Sugar Cane Town - The New York Times". archive.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
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  12. ↑ "2013 Muzaffarnagar riots cases | Eight years on, over 1,100 acquitted, just seven convicted". 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026 – via www.thehindu.com.
  13. ↑ Anand, Utkarsh (26 March 2014). "SC holds Akhilesh govt guilty of negligence, orders arrest of all Muzaffarnagar accused". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: Court allows to withdraw cases against 12 BJP leaders". The Wire (India). 28 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  15. 1 2 Mishra, Ishita (11 October 2022). "BJP MLA among 12 sentenced to two years in prison in 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Mystery of Kawwal: Were Muzaffarnagar riots based on distortion of facts?". NDTV. 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  17. 1 2 Kirpal, Raman (16 September 2013). "How SP, BJP, BSP politicians gave their blessings as Muzaffarnagar burned". First Post. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Varma, Gyan (12 September 2013). "Communalism gains new ground in rural India". Live Mint. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2013. The violence erupted after a girl belonging to the dominant Jat community was subjected to street harassment by some young Muslims in Kawal village. The incident led to clashes between Jats and Muslims in the village in which three people died.
  19. 1 2 3 Sagar, Pradip R. (12 September 2013). "dna in Muzaffarnagar: SP bid to gain foothold in Muzaffarnagar behind deadly riots?". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  20. 1 2 "The Muzaffarnagar aftermath". India Today. 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Timeline of Muzaffarnagar riots: eve-teasing incident led to murders, then riots". India TV News. 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Three killed in UP after girl's harassment". Mid-Day. 28 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  23. ↑ "Army deployed in Muzaffarnagar after 11 killed in clashes, UP on high alert". India Today. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  24. 1 2 Jain, Sreenivasan (11 September 2013). "Muzaffarnagar riots: a meeting after Friday prayers exploited by politicians". NDTV. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: Trial against 3 BSP leaders, ex-Congress MP to start on Jan 27". The Times of India. 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sagar, Pradip R (13 September 2013). "dna special: Jolly canal killings triggered the Muzaffarnagar riots". DNA India. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013.
  27. ↑ "How the violence of Muzaffarnagar riots tore a village apart | The Caravan". caravanmagazine.in. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  28. 1 2 "Muzaffarnagar: Tales of death and despair in India's riot-hit town - BBC News". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Former UP Minister, 11 others held for trying to go to Muzaffarnagar's Kawal village". Niti Central. 31 August 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Anand, Deevakar; Bhatt, Virendra Nath (21 September 2013). "Everybody Loves a Good Riot". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  31. 1 2 Apurva (8 September 2013). "Communal clashes in western UP town,reporter among six killed". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014.
  32. 1 2 Jain, Sreenivasan. "Muzaffarnagar riots: politicians addressed crowd armed with swords, guns". NDTV. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013.
  33. ↑ Apurva; Ghose, Dipankar (14 September 2013). "3 bodies of Jat victims fished out of Muzaffarnagar canal, say police". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "12 killed, 40 injured in communal riots in Muzaffarnagar". The Hindu Businessline. 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013.
  35. ↑ "10 killed in communal clashes in UP's Muzaffarnagar, violence spreads to Meerut villages". Hindustan Times. 7 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013.
  36. ↑ "Curfew in force, toll in Muzaffarnagar climbs to 28". Tehelka. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  37. ↑ "Death toll rises after riots in India's Muzaffarnagar". BBC News. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  38. ↑ Siddiqui, Furqan Ameen (4 December 2013). "UP turns its back on Muzaffarnagar's gang-rape victims". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "Two fresh cases of gangrape registered in Muzaffarnagar". Tehelka. 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  40. ↑ PTI (15 November 2013). "No one held in rape cases of Muzaffarnagar riots". Zee News. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  41. ↑ "20 injured in police clashes over Meerut mahapanchayat". The Times of India. 30 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013.
  42. ↑ "Fresh Communal Violence erupts in Muzaffarnagar, 3 Dead". Biharprabha News. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  43. ↑ "Court defers hearing in Muzaffarnagar riots case till July 16". ABP Live. 4 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  44. ↑ "First video of riot victims returning to homes in Muzaffarnagar - IndiaTomorrow".
  45. ↑ "After Fleeing Violence, Many Indian Muslims Refuse to Return Home - NYTimes.com". Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  46. ↑ Bose, Adrija (9 September 2013). "Muzaffarnagar live: UP govt appoints judicial panel to probe violence". Firstpost. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  47. ↑ "Poor riot management: Uttar Pradesh government removes five senior officials". The Times of India. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  48. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: BSP MP surrenders, sent to 14-day judicial custody". IBN 7. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  49. ↑ Press Truth of India (2 October 2013). "Authorities seek video conferencing of Som, Rana in riots case". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  50. ↑ "VIP treatment to HateMongers BJP MLA Sangeet Som and Rana". India Today. New Delhi. 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  51. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: BJP MLA Sangeet Som booked under National Security Act". Zee News. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  52. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: BJP MLA Sangeet Som booked under National Security Act". Muzaffarnagar: Zee News. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  53. ↑ "Cops expose Azam Khan's role in Muzaffarnagar violence". Headlines Today. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  54. ↑ "Azam Khan had interfered with police probe, Jats tell Congress leaders". The Times of India. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  55. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar: Azam Khan says punish me if guilty". Hindustan Times. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 19 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  56. ↑ Mishra, Ishita (9 May 2023). "Court awards 20-year jail to two for gang rape of Muslim woman during Muzaffarnagar riots". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  57. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar clash: Bahujan Samaj Party demands dismissal of UP government". DNA India. 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  58. ↑ "BJP demands dismissal of UP government". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  59. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar clashes: RLD chief Ajit Singh demands President's Rule in UP". Business Standard. 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  60. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: Jamiat demands dismissal of Akhilesh govt". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  61. 1 2 Dixit, Neha (1 September 2015). "Akhilesh Yadav in the family business". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  62. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: Blame game continues as death toll rises to 31". IBNLive. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  63. ↑ "Azam Khan's absence sets rumour mills churning". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  64. ↑ "In wake of Muzaffarnagar riots, Sompal Shastri refuses to be SP candidateg". The Times of India. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013.
  65. 1 2 3 "38,000 in relief camps, most not yet ready to return home". 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  66. ↑ "Conditions at relief camps appalling: NHRC". The Indian Express. 22 October 2013.
  67. ↑ Shafi, Showkat (25 December 2013). "Indian children freeze to death in camps". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  68. 1 2 Mander, Harsh. "Muzaffarnagar, three years later". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  69. ↑ "The Lingering Pain of Muzaffarnagar". Outlook (Indian magazine). 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  70. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: 30,000 people still living in 65 refugee colonies". Asian Age. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  71. ↑ "Riot victims live in ghetto-like conditions: Report". The Hindu. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  72. ↑ "30000 riot displaced off govt's radar". The Telegraph (India). 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  73. ↑ Agnihotri, Neeraj (23 May 2018). In The Name Of Blasphemy. Neeraj Agnihotri. ISBN 978-1-5218-0386-8.
  74. ↑ Rutherford, Adam (19 November 2025). "The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco review – a masterclass in visual reportage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  75. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar riots: Report says SP and BJP behind violence". India Today. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  76. ↑ "Panel finds Samajwadi Party, BJP hand in UP riots". The Times of India. 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  77. ↑ "BJP MLA Vikram Saini gets 2-year jail in riots case". Tribuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  78. ↑ "Gram pradhan to two-time MLA: How Vikram Saini's fortunes changed after 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots". The Indian Express. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  79. ↑ "Muzaffarnagar Riots: BJP MLA Vikram Saini, 11 Others Convicted, Sentenced to Jail". The Wire. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  80. ↑ Upadhyay, Sparsh (12 October 2022). "Muzaffarnagar Riots 2013 Case: BJP MLA Vikram Saini, 10 Others Sentenced To Two Years In Prison, Granted Bail Later". www.livelaw.in. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
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