BJINOR: While PM Modi steered clear of polarising comments, minister of state Sanjiv Balyan and Bijnor MP Kunwar Bhartendra raked up both Muzaffarnagar riots and Peda clashes in their speeches here on Friday.Balyan said, "It was under SP government's pressure that innocent people were framed in both Muzaffarnagar and Peda clashes. Once back in power, we will open these cases and institute a fresh inquiry."The minister went on to add, "Both police and administration are under pressure from SP government. Many innocent persons were slapped with false cases and are still languishing in jail. People who want justice for the innocent should vote for BJP in the upcoming assembly polls. If our party comes to power in the state, we will initiate a fresh inquiry into the riots cases."Local MP Bhartendra Singh said, "It is not only an electoral fight but also a fight between 'dharma' and 'adharma'. Now, people have to decide which party they should support. Bijnor is a sensitive area and earlier some terrorists who were making bombs escaped in a rickshaw. Police could not trap them. It all happened during the SP regime in UP."Both Balyan and Bhartendra were accused of instigating people during the mahapanchayat at Nagla Mandaur in Muzaffarnagar on September 7, 2013. It was seen as the proverbial trigger that pushed Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas into the communal fire that ended consuming 50 lives and displacing 50,000 people.Violence had erupted at Peda village in the district last year after three male members of a Muslim family were shot dead for protesting against alleged harassment of a minor female member of their family. Seventeen people were injured in the flare-up.

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