A local court in Muzaffarnagar delivered a significant verdict on Friday, acquitting two men accused of arson and looting during the deadly 2013 communal riots. The acquittal came after the prosecution's case collapsed due to a lack of evidence, with four key witnesses, including the original complainant, retracting their statements.
The Case and the Hostile Witnesses
The legal proceedings stemmed from a complaint filed by Riaz Hasan, a resident of Phugana village. Hasan had alleged that on September 8, 2013, a group including Gaurav, Vicky, and Yogesh attacked his house. The accused were charged with looting cash and jewellery worth approximately Rs 1 lakh, setting the house on fire, and injuring family members.
However, during the trial, a major setback occurred for the prosecution. All four primary witnesses, including complainant Riaz Hasan himself, turned hostile. They retracted their earlier statements given to the police, which effectively dismantled the case against the accused.
Defence Argument and Court Proceedings
Defence lawyer Rahul Chaudhary explained the sequence of events. He stated that after the violence, Hasan's complaint detailed a brutal attack around 11:30 AM. Armed men with axes and pistols allegedly entered his home, caused serious injuries, looted jewellery, cash, cattle, and documents, and insulted the women of the family. Hasan claimed total losses of around Rs 15 lakh and that his family was rendered homeless.
Based on this complaint, the Phugana police registered a case under IPC sections 147 (rioting) and 436 (mischief by fire). The accused were arrested and jailed but later secured bail. Chaudhary confirmed that Gaurav and Vicky were acquitted due to the lack of evidence and hostile witnesses. The court separated the proceedings against the third accused, Yogesh, as he remains absconding.
A Pattern of Acquittals Post-2013 Riots
This verdict is not an isolated incident. Several First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered following the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, and many accused have been acquitted on similar grounds of witness testimony failure or benefit of doubt.
In a related development from July, a local court had acquitted 10 men charged under IPC section 153A for promoting enmity in connection with the deaths of villagers at Kakra on September 7, 2013. In that case as well, the court gave the accused the benefit of doubt, with the defence arguing they were falsely implicated by the police.
The 2013 communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts were a period of intense violence. The chain of events was triggered on August 27, 2013, by the stabbing death of 25-year-old Shahnawaz in Kawal village. This was followed by the lynching of two of the alleged attackers, Sachin and Gaurav. The subsequent violence led to at least 62 deaths and displaced over 50,000 people.
