Five acquitted in 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case over mosque arson, vandalism

Some shops burnt down by rioters in Muzaffarnagar on September 10, 2013. File | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma A local court has acquitted five people in a 13-year-old case related to the vandalism and arson at a mosque and a house during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, citing lack of evidence, a case lawyer said on Friday (November 6, 2026).Also Read | Muzaffarnagar riots: court allows withdrawal of case against 25 people, including BJP leaders Sanjeev BalyanAdditional District and Sessions Judge Vijay Kumar acquitted Anuj, Arvind, Nitu, Ankit and Ramkumar on Thursday (November 5), observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them, government counsel Narendra Sharma said.According to Mr. Sharma, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed a chargesheet against the five accused after investigating an incident that took place on September 8, 2013, in Muthbhar village under the Bhorakala police station limits.The accused were charged with vandalising and setting a mosque on fire, besides looting around ₹1 lakh in cash collected at the religious place during the riots.According to the complaint lodged by the victim, Shahbuddin, more than 50 people had allegedly vandalised the mosque and set it ablaze. They also allegedly looted cash from the mosque, ransacked his house, and set it on fire.The SIT subsequently filed a chargesheet against five people in connection with the incident. Published - November 06, 2026 11:53 am IST