The Commission constituted on September 9, 2013, to investigate the Muzaffarnagar riots has been given its sixth extension.
According to the notification issued by the State Principal Secretary Debashish Panda, the commission’s tenure has been extended by six months. Its term would get over on August 8, 2015.
The commission was formed under retired Allahabad High Court judge Vishnu Sahai and its mandate is to investigate the reasons which triggered the riots which left over 62 dead and thousands homeless.
The commission was initially formed for two months but later the State Government kept on extending its term by six months. Many riot victims feel the “delay” in submission of the panel report was deliberate as the Samajwadi Party government allegedly wants the report to coincide with the Assembly elections which are due in 2017.
A large number of the riot victims said it was “pointless” to expect anything from the commission.
Subhan Ahmad, a 40-year-old resident of a camp at Kairana in Shamli district told The Hindu on phone that he didn’t expect much from the Sahai Commission.
Gulshad Hassan who led the initiative to form several riot camps in Shamli dismissed the existence of the commission. “The repeated extensions given to the panel seems quite deliberate. Not that I expect anything from the commission,” he added.
