Muzaffarnagar riots: Inquiry commission submits report to Governor Ram Naik

“Justice Vishnu Sahay, heading the commission submitted the report to the Governor today. The 775-page report is in six volumes,” a Raj Bhavan release said.

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“The report has come to me and I would forward it to the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday for further action,” said Governor Ram Naik.
Sources informed that the report has indicted some district level officials for administrative lapses.

Apart from Governor, copies of the report has also been submitted to chief secretary Alok Ranjan and principal secretary (Home) Debashish Panda.
“While the content of the report and its findings can only be revealed by the state government, I can inform that I recorded statement of 478 people in past two years before filing this report and looked into every aspect and roles played. Out of 478 statements, I recorded statement of 101 officials and 377 people from public,” Justice Sahai told The Indian Express

Asked about the finding, Ranjan said: “It is a voluminous report. I have not gone through it in detail. But certainly district level officials have been indicted. Based on the evidences, the commission has looked into details at the administrative lapses and roles played by officers, politicians and even by media in flaring it up further”.

He said the Chief Minister would decided if the report will be tabled in the next session of the state Assembly.

The state government had constituted the commission headed by the retired judge of Allahabad High Court on September 9, 2013, days after riots had taken place in Muzaffarnagar in August. While the commission was initially asked to submit its report in two months, it was later given several extensions. It had sought the last extension till October 8.

The state government had also formed a special investigating team on September 24, 2013. In the past two years, a total of 567 cases related to Muzaffarnagar riots had been lodged. The SIT has already submitted its investigation report in all the cases barring nine that are still pending.

Sources in the government informed that the commission was asked to look into the riots, its causes, response of the officials, who all were responsible for it as well as suggest ways to stop occurence of such riots in the future. Apart from Lucknow, the Commission was also given a camp office in Muzaffarnagar. The statement of 478 people were recorded in 11 visits and 71 days. The inquiry also included Meerut, Shamli, Baghpat and Saharanpur districts. The commission took 2 years and 14 days to complete its report starting from September 11, 2013 to September 23, 2015.