Muzaffarnagar riots: SIT files closure report in murder case

Muzaffarnagar: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Muzaffarnagar riots cases has filed a closure report in the murder case of journalist Rajesh Verma, saying the accused are yet to be identified.

The SIT Thursday filed the closure report in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar.

The court has fixed February 28 for filing any objection on the closure report and issued a notice to the complainant Sanjay Verma, the brother of the deceased, giving him an opportunity to file any objection.

According to prosecution, the journalist was shot dead when he had gone to cover violence at Abupura locality under Kotwali police station on September 7, 2013, during communal riots in the district.

A case was lodged against unidentified persons under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons) and 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC by deceased's brother Sanjay Verma.

The case was handed over to the SIT.

The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had visited the family of the journalist and expressed their condolences.

Over 60 persons were killed and more than 40,000 displaced in communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in September, 2013.

Meanwhile, the then Home Secretary and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) of Uttar Pradesh recorded their statements before the inquiry commission in connection with the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

"R M Shrivastav, the then Home Secretary and Arun Kumar, ADGP, Law and Order have recorded their statements yesterday. They said that adequate police force had been provided to control violence during the Muzaffarnagar riots," the inquiry commission said.

The one-man inquiry commission probing the Muzaffarnagar riots case is being headed by Justice Vishnu Sahai, retired judge of Allahabad High Court.