Muzaffarnagar riot victims' kin move court against SIT closure report

The father of Shahnawaz, killed during the riots in Muzaffarnagar in August 2013, has moved court challenging the closure report of the special investigation team giving clean chit to the six accused in the case.

The victim's father, Mohammad Saleem, on Monday filed a petition in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar and sought cancellation of the closure report.

He alleged that the SIT, probing the Muzaffarnagar riots cases, carried out partial investigation into the case and ignored recording statements of eyewitnesses under CrPC Section 164 despite the victim family's requests.

He asked the court to take cognisance of murder charges against the accused.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Kumar has fixed February 16 for hearing of the plea challenging the SIT closure report.

According to the FIR lodged with police by the deceased's father, Shahnawaz was stabbed to death allegedly by eight people at Kawal village under Jansath police station in the district on August 27, 2013.

SIT Inspector Sampurnanad Tiwari had last month filed the closure report in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar after giving clean chit to the six accused -- Prahlad, Vishan, Devender, Jitendra, Yogender and Ravinder -- saying that they were not found involved in the murder of Shahnawaz in Kawal in August 2013.

According to SIT Additional SP Manoj Jha, clean chit has been given to the six accused while the remaining two accused, Sachin and Gaurav who were killed by a mob in Kawal village, were found to be involved in Shahnawaz's murder.

The SIT has already filed a charge sheet against five accused -- Mujassim, Muzammil, Nadeem, Jahangir and Furkan -- in connection with the murder of Sachin and Gaurav.