Muzaffarnagar riots: Property of absconding accused in murder case of eyewitness attached

Authorities have attached properties of an absconding accused in the murder case of Ashfaq, who was an eyewitness in the killings of his two brothers during the Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh, police said Wednesday. The properties of Sehdev, one of the seven accused in the case, have been attached after an order by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Rakesh Gautam, said Harsharan Sharma, Station House Officer of Khatauli.

Six other accused in the case have already been arrested and Sehdev is currently on the run, he added. Ashfaq, who had witnessed the killings of his brothers Nawab and Shahid during the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, was shot dead on March 11 after he had apparently refused to withdraw the case, police said.

The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining areas in August and September 2013 had claimed more than 60 lives, while over 40,000 people were displaced.

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Several BJP leaders, including Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, are also accused in the case. The two leaders were also detained under the National Security Act (NSA) during the riots but later their detention was revoked by the Uttar Pradesh Advisory Board.

While Sangeet Som was accused of uploading a video which reportedly sparked communal tension in the area, Suresh Rana was charged for allegedly stoking the violence which left 62 people dead and rendered 40,000 homeless.