Muzaffarnagar riots: 6 accused in murder case get clean chit

The special investigation team probing the Muzaffarnagar riots has given a clean chit to six accused in connection with a murder case during the communal violence in the district.

SIT Inspector Sampurnanad Tiwari filed a closure report on Monday in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar after giving clean chit to six accused -- Prahlad, Vishan, Devender, Jitendra, Yogender and Ravinder -- saying they were not found involved in the murder of Shahnawaz during the 2013 communal riots.

Police had filed an FIR against eight people in Shahnawaz murder case.

According to SIT Additional SP Manoj Jha, a clean chit has been given to six accused while the remaining two accused, Sachin and Gaurav who were killed by a mob in Kawal village, were found to be involved in Shahnawaz’s murder.

According to the FIR lodged with the police by the deceased’s father, Shanawaz was stabbed to death allegedly by eight people at Kawal village under Jansath police station in the district on August 27, 2013. Gaurav and Sachin were later lynched by a mob in Kawal.

The incident led to widespread tension in Muzaffarnagar district and adjoining districts of Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut and Saharanpur.

SIT has also filed a chargesheet against five accused -- Mujassim, Muzammil, Nadeem, Jahangir and Furkan -- in connection with the murder of Sachin and Gaurav in which hearing has started in the court and January 30 has been fixed as the date for cross examination with the complainant, Jha said.

Meanwhile, Shanawaz’s father Mohd Waseem said that he would challenge the closure report of the SIT in the court.