Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Uttar Pradesh minister Kapil Dev Agrawal, surrendered before a special court in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots linked case on Tuesday, October 29.
This surrender came days after non-bailable warrants were granted against them for failing to appear in court by special Judge Devendra Faujdar of the MP-MLA court.
The warrants were issued on October 21 and the changes were to be framed by November 16.
However, the controversial far-right priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Yati Narsinghanand was absent in court which led the court to issue another NIB warrant against him. The prosecution officer, Niraj Singh, informed that all accused must appear before the court on the next available date.
The case involves a total of twenty people among which are former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, former BJP MP Bhartendu Singh and radical Hindutva politician and member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Sadhvi Prachi.
The non-bailable warrants for Narsinghanand, other Hindutva activists and BJP leaders for failing to appear in court in the case linked to the Muzaffarnagar riots. Yati and others have been accused of inciting violence with speeches at a panchayat meeting in Naglamador village, which allegedly fueled communal tensions eventually leading to riots.
The accused have been charged under sections 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, section 353 of the IPC for assault or criminal force with intent to deter a public servant from performing his duty, section 341 of the IPC for punishment for wrongful restraint and section 153A of the IPC for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.
“Twenty people including Uttar Pradesh minister Kapil Dev Agrawal, former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi, former Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana, former BJP MP Bhartendu Singh, former BJP MLAs Umesh Malik and Ashok Kansal, and Dasna temple priest Yati Narsighanand are facing trial in the case,” Prosecution Officer Niraj Singh told PTI.
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