A Special Investigation Team, constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, has charged at least 225 people so far in connection with the September 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring areas, police said on Wednesday.
The SIT has named 225 people in 28 riot cases so far while 28 complainants in other cases could not be traced, said Manoj Jha, an ASP with the team.
Final report in nine cases has been submitted before a local court due to lack of evidence, he added.
The SIT has sent a list of 522 accused in different riot cases and asked the local police to arrest them.
Arrest warrants against 89 accused in 48 murder cases have been issued by the court while proceedings against three accused have been initiated, Mr. Jha said.
Meanwhile, SIT sources said that not even one out of the 27 accused in six rape cases have been arrested so far.
The investigating team, however, has recorded statements of all the six victims, they said.
The sources also said that no accused has been identified yet in the killing of journalist Rajesh Verma, who was shot dead while covering the riots.
The SIT is investigating a total of 571 cases in which 6,386 people were named, including 538 cases of Muzaffarnagar, 27 of Shamli, two of Baghpat, one of Meerut and Saharanpur each.
Encroachment cases against 100 riot-hit families
Meanwhile, cases have been registered against 100 riot-hit families who have been living in a village in Shamli district, for allegedly encroaching upon a government land, officials said on Wednesday.
Tehsildar Thakur Prasad on Tuesday lodged complaints against the families who have been living at Mansoora village under Jhinjhana police station after the September 2013 riots, Sub-Divisional Magistrate S.K. Singh told reporters.
In his complaint Mr. Prasad has alleged that the families have been camping on the land since the riots and have now even built brick cottages, Mr. Singh said.
In a separate case, the Forest Department has sent notice to 270 families asking them to vacate land in Roten village in the district.
These families have also allegedly encroached upon the forest land by camping there after the riots.
