Lucknow: In an apparent damage control exercise, the Akhilesh government is planning to withdraw a case of inciting violence through inflammatory speeches filed against Muslim leaders, including BSP MP Qadir Rana, during Muzaffarnagar riots.
The law department of the government has asked the district authorities to send a report on withdrawal of the case filed against the leaders for allegedly inciting violence by making inflammatory speeches in a panchayat meeting at Khala Par in Muzaffaranagar on August 31, 2013.
The case was filed against BSP MP Qadir Rana, MLAs Noor Saleem and Maulana Jameel Ahmad, former Congress minister Saeed-uz-Zaman and his son Salman Saeed, community leaders Asad Zama, Naushad Qureshi, trader Ahsan, advocate Sultan Mashir and others.
Arrest warrants had been issued against them by a local court. Qadir Rana and other accused, except Saeed-uz-Zaman, and three others, are on bail. The SIT is investigating into the case, but no charge sheet has been filed so far.
It may be recalled that on August 30, Muslim leaders had convened a meeting at Khala Par to protest against the August 27 killing of a Muslim youth, Shahnawaz, where they had made a speech allegedly provoking the community into retaliation.
