Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi will visit the riot-affected Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh today. This comes a day after UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visited the area, a full week after communal clashes broke out killing 48 people.
Here are the latest updates
The PM, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi today reached out to displaced villagers in relief camps where hundreds have taken shelter since the clashes.
Many of the riot-hit families have refused to return to their villages, fearing more attacks.
The Prime Minister promised toughest action against the rioters and assured that his government would do all it can to make people feel safe and secure.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday faced angry protests, especially in the Kawal village, the epicentre of the clashes, where three young men were killed last month.
The 40-year-old Chief Minister, under attack from failing to prevent the riots, also faced protests in the state assembly, which led to disruptions.
In an affidavit to the Supreme Court today, the Centre said over 7,000 paramilitary personnel are deployed in troubled areas and over 26,000 villagers are stranded.
Schools in the district, which was under 24-hour curfew for many days, re-opened this morning after a week and a senior cop said night curfew might be lifted in Muzaffarnagar town in a day or two.
Akhilesh Yadav promised that a commission will identify those guilty of administrative lapses, and people accused of inciting trouble would be booked under the National Security Act. The Chief Minister has faced flak from various quarters, including his own partymen, who allege administrative breakdown that allowed the violence that followed a large Jat farmers' gathering to spread.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former union minister Sompal Shastri has refused to contest the 2014 elections, saying he has lost the moral right to do so. Another senior leader and minister Azam Khan had last week skipped a top party meet reportedly in protest.
The clashes began after farmers who attended a huge gathering or mahapanchayat on September 7, were killed on their way home. The gathering was called to demand justice for two Jat brothers, who were lynched after they allegedly killed a young Muslim boy for stalking their sister.
