The 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots were the worst communal violence in Uttar Pradesh in recent decades, killing 62 and displacing over 50,000 people.
Key Facts
- Total deaths
- 62 people
- Muslim deaths
- 42 people
- Hindu deaths
- 20 people
- Displaced persons
- 50,000+ people
- Curfew lifted
- 17 September 2013
- Conviction (2022)
- BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini + 11 others, 2 years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Longstanding communal tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, escalated in 2013. The Samajwadi Party state government was later found prima facie negligent in preventing the violence, and the Central government was blamed for failing to provide timely intelligence inputs that could have enabled early intervention.
In September 2013, large-scale religious clashes erupted between Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh. Sixty-two people were killed — 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus — and more than 50,000 people were displaced. The Indian Army was deployed in the state for the first time in twenty years, and a curfew was imposed across affected areas before being lifted on 17 September.
The Supreme Court of India ordered the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government to arrest all accused regardless of political affiliation. In 2021, a local court allowed the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government to withdraw incitement charges against 12 BJP leaders. In 2022, BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini and 11 others were convicted of rioting and sentenced to two years in prison.
Political Outcome
62 killed, 50,000+ displaced; army deployed; Supreme Court found state government negligent; convictions issued in 2022.