Muzaffarnagar:
Weeks after nearly 60 people were killed in Muzaffarnagar in the worst communal riots in Uttar Pradesh in over a decade, this western part of the state is on edge again, with four people killed in the last 24 hours.
It is unclear whether the latest violence is linked to Hindu-Muslim tension, which led to clashes in September that were so severe that the Army was called in. The local police say that the killing of three young men in one incident and that of a woman in a separate incident, were not the result of communal tension.
But the state's top police officer, Devraj Nagar, rushed immediately to area. He said the new violence can "definitely be attributed to lapses on part of the police."
The murders happened despite the fact that the area, tense since one person was killed in last month's riots, has 15 men of the Provincial Armed Constabulary or PAC stationed there, who are supposed to conduct frequent patrolling.
An FIR registered alleges that Afroz, Ajmal and Mehrbaan, three men from Hussainpur village, all in their early twenties, were killed on Wednesday while working in the fields by Jat men from a neighbouring village, Mohmadpur, after an altercation.
The policemen stationed in the area said they had found the bodies on their evening round of the village. Despite each man doing a 12-hour shift, there were just not enough cops to cover the area, they complained.
But the Hussainpur village chief alleged that the police were unresponsive. "We called the station officer 21 times. He did not pick up," he alleged.
Mr Nagar has said that "those who were negligent will be punished."
Eight people have been arrested. Around 500 paramilitary troops have been sent to Muzaffarnagar as a precaution.
Also on Wednesday, a woman named Rina was killed by unknown attackers in Hussainpur village. The police say there is nothing to suggest so far that it was a communal attack.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was accused of a belated reaction to September's violence, said that the riots were being instigated by "mischievous elements" and accused the Opposition BJP of fanning tension with inflammatory speeches. The BJP accuses Mr Yadav and government officials of enacting policies that are lopsided in favour of Muslims.
It is unclear whether the latest violence is linked to Hindu-Muslim tension, which led to clashes in September that were so severe that the Army was called in. The local police say that the killing of three young men in one incident and that of a woman in a separate incident, were not the result of communal tension.
But the state's top police officer, Devraj Nagar, rushed immediately to area. He said the new violence can "definitely be attributed to lapses on part of the police."
The murders happened despite the fact that the area, tense since one person was killed in last month's riots, has 15 men of the Provincial Armed Constabulary or PAC stationed there, who are supposed to conduct frequent patrolling.
An FIR registered alleges that Afroz, Ajmal and Mehrbaan, three men from Hussainpur village, all in their early twenties, were killed on Wednesday while working in the fields by Jat men from a neighbouring village, Mohmadpur, after an altercation.
The policemen stationed in the area said they had found the bodies on their evening round of the village. Despite each man doing a 12-hour shift, there were just not enough cops to cover the area, they complained.
But the Hussainpur village chief alleged that the police were unresponsive. "We called the station officer 21 times. He did not pick up," he alleged.
Mr Nagar has said that "those who were negligent will be punished."
Eight people have been arrested. Around 500 paramilitary troops have been sent to Muzaffarnagar as a precaution.
Also on Wednesday, a woman named Rina was killed by unknown attackers in Hussainpur village. The police say there is nothing to suggest so far that it was a communal attack.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was accused of a belated reaction to September's violence, said that the riots were being instigated by "mischievous elements" and accused the Opposition BJP of fanning tension with inflammatory speeches. The BJP accuses Mr Yadav and government officials of enacting policies that are lopsided in favour of Muslims.
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