A Muzaffarnagar court has acquitted 22 individuals in connection to a 2013 riots case involving murder, loot, and arson, citing insufficient evidence. The ruling, delivered on Saturday, comes more than a decade after the deadly communal riots that shook Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in Uttar Pradesh.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Kanishk Kumar presided over the case and stated that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The case stemmed from an incident in Mohammadpur Raisingh village on September 8, 2013, where a mob allegedly attacked houses, looted property, and set homes ablaze.

The First Information Report (FIR) in the case was lodged by sub-inspector Ganga Prasad from Bhorakala police station on September 8, 2013. The charges included murder (Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code) and other offenses, alleging a large-scale attack on the village. According to the prosecution, the rioters also vandalized a mosque and attacked police personnel deployed in the area. Haneef, the complainant, alleged that his father, Rahishuddin, was beaten to death during the attack. Rahishuddin, 40, was allegedly murdered with sharp-edged objects during the violence.

Initially, the police registered a case against 45 individuals, but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a chargesheet against 26 after investigation. During the trial, four of the accused died, leaving 22 to face the court proceedings. The 22 individuals who were acquitted were all residents of Mohammadpur Raisingh. Satyendra Kumar Singh served as the defense counsel.

The 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots were triggered by the murder of Shahnawaz, 25, on August 27, 2013, in Kawal village. He was allegedly stabbed to death by eight men during a clash. Following this incident, a mob killed two of the alleged attackers, Sachin and Gaurav. These events ignited widespread communal violence in the region.

This is reportedly one of many cases related to the 2013 riots that have resulted in acquittals due to lack of evidence. All related FIRs were combined and tried as a single case before the local court.