Nearly 12 years after the Muzaffarnagar riots that tore through western Uttar Pradesh, a local court has acquitted 22 persons accused in a case of murder, arson and mob violence in Mohammadpur Raisingh village during the 2013 anti-Muslim violence.

According to PTI, the court held that there was insufficient evidence on record to convict the accused.

The Times of India reported that it also concluded the “prosecution could not establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The case pertained to the killing of Raisuddin, a resident of Mohammadpur Raisingh, who died after being attacked with sharp weapons during the violence. The accused were among 26 local members of the Jat community who had been arrested in the weeks and months following the riots.

As the trial progressed over the years, many of them were released on bail. Four of the accused died before the verdict was delivered on Saturday.

Mohammadpur Raisingh lies adjacent to Hussainpur, its so-called ‘sister’ village, where at least 2,400 Muslims from the village and nearby areas had taken shelter during the September 2013 violence. Raisuddin’s son, Haneef, had told the police in his complaint that his father was beaten to death during the attacks. Based on his statement, cases were registered against named and unnamed members of the mob.

In his complaint, Haneef alleged that rioters attacked homes in Mohammadpur Raisingh, looted property and set houses on fire. The mob was also accused of damaging a mosque and burning a motorcycle belonging to a police constable. Police personnel were allegedly injured during the attack as well.

The cases related to the violence in Mohammadpur Raisingh were initially registered at the Bhaura Kalan Police Station, located a few kilometres from the affected villages. After the first FIR was lodged on September 8, 2013, the investigation was later transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The violence in Mohammadpur Raisingh took place on September 7, 2013, about 36 hours before the army was called in, though not deployed, to Bhaura Kalan and surrounding villages. The army remained in the area until September 17. The acquittal order was pronounced by a court of the Additional District Judge in Muzaffarnagar, Hindustan Times reported.

Tensions in the region, however, did not end with the September violence. On October 30, 2013, Mohammadpur Raisingh again witnessed bloodshed when three Muslim youths from Hussainpur were killed, allegedly by residents of the village. Criminal cases linked to this post-riot violence are still pending in courts across western Uttar Pradesh.

In the months following the riots, the Jat community in Mohammadpur Raisingh mobilised extensively, organising large ‘mahapanchayats‘. During these gatherings, it was alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government, then led by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, had neglected the needs of ‘Hindus’ while extending support to Muslims.

The 2013 Muzaffarnagar violence led to the displacement of more than 50,000 Muslim residents from rural areas of the district. Official figures recorded over 37 Muslim deaths and 15 Hindu deaths, though the castes of the Hindu victims were not specified.

The violence also included instances of sexual assault, with seven rape cases filed by Muslim survivors, one of which resulted in a conviction in 2023.