Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reassuring a gathering in Delhi that his government has never discriminated on the basis of religion, Uttar Pradesh Police have sealed hundreds of shops owned by the Muslims, alleging that they were among the protesters and had engaged in violence.

In several West UP districts, the administration is said to have sealed even those shops which had their shutters down on Friday. The police sealed 67 shops on Arya Samaj Road and Vikas Bhawan Road near Meenakshi Chowk in Muzaffarnagar.

“The fact that the shutters were down indicated their complicity; they must have known about the impending disturbances,” reasoned officials.

The District Magistrate of Lucknow also went on record to say that miscreants had been identified and the exercise to confiscate their property had started.

Reports reaching from Muzaffarnagar spoke of Muslims being terrorised and forced to leave for safety. Amidst allegations that policemen vandalised houses and private vehicles, members of the minority community are being forced to hand over statements giving a clean chit to the police, reports held. Pickets have been placed outside Muslim mohallas with heavy police presence in the areas.