Muzaffarnagar Riots Anniversary Posters Spark Controversy and Clashes in Uttar Pradesh

Posters put up in several districts of the state on the anniversary of the Muzaffarnagar riots on Sunday have once again brought the 2013 violence and the role of the then SP government into the political discussion. Posters put up in many cities, including Lucknow, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Saharanpur and Shamli, have been written in large letters,'Na bhulaye the, na bhulaye hain, na bhulenge.'During the pasting of posters, there was also a serious situation of controversy in some districts. There have been reports of arguments and clashes between SP workers who came to protest against the posters and the people who put them up. After this, the police also had to intervene at the local level. Posters and their protest have heated up the political atmosphere of the state on the anniversary of the riots. On September 7, 2013, communal violence broke out in Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas, in which more than 60 people lost their lives, while more than 50 thousand people had to leave their homes. The situation had deteriorated so much that the army had to take help of the violence.