LUCKNOW: Even as number of people displaced due to communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts crossed 43,000 mark on Saturday, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that he will visit riot-hit areas on Sunday and meet victims. The announcement came a day after the CM met cabinet minister Azam Khan, who has unhappy over the way the state government handled the violence in west UP which claimed more than 45 lives so far. Prime minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to visit the strife-torn district on Monday.

Stray incidents of violence were reported some areas in which several persons were injured. Situation was largely under control but tense. While number of displaced were said to be high, state government admitted that around 43,000 persons have taken refuge in the 47 relief camps set up in the region. While 27,208 persons were in 30 camps in Muzaffarnagar, 12,859 were in six camps in Shamli and 3501 in 11 camps in Kairana. Curfew was relaxed for 12 hours in Muzaffarnagar. Six persons were also arrested from different parts.

Yadav will start his visit from Kawal village where three persons were killed in August 27 following which tension was simmering in the district before it erupted into large scale violence on September 7. The CM will meet families of the victims in Kawal. Later, he is also expected to visit the family of journalist Rajesh Verma, who was also killed in the riots. Yadav will meet injured in various hospitals. In view of the visit, Azam Khan issued an appeal to the people to narrate their woes fearlessly before the CM without indulging in any provocation.

The prime minister during his visit will also meet victims and inspect services being provided to the injured in the hospital. He is also expected to speak to the CM before his return. In Lucknow, home department officials said that adequate security arrangements have been made for the two high profile visits. Though they said that they have no information about the visits of UPA chairperson and Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, UP Congress leaders said that Gandhis would visit the riot-hit areas next week.

Meanwhile, two persons were reportedly injured in a clash in Fugana. In Shamli, two persons were shot at by unidentified men. They were rushed to the Meerut Medical College. Tension also prevailed in Atrauli area of Aligarh after a girl was allegedly harassed by three youth. The girl was on her way to college when the three miscreants tried to stop her. One of the youth was nabbed by the locals after the girl raised an alarm. Later, another accused was also arrested. Similar incident of harassment had sparked violence in Kawal on August 27.

Police said that two youths were arrested for passing around inflammatory text messages in Sikhera village in the district. In Bahwdi village, four persons, including son of a Khap council head, were held on chares of rioting on the complaints by some victims. So far, 542 persons have been arrested in connection with communal violence. Divisional commissioner Saharanpur Bhuvnesh Kumar said that total compensation of Rs 2.75 crore has been distributed so far among 27 families which lost their loved ones in the communal clashes.

However, the Opposition continued to criticise the Akhilesh government for its failure to check the riots. Ajit Singh-led RLD, which has key presence in west UP, claimed that nearly 50,000 people have left villages hit by the raging violence. Demanding CBI probe into the violence, RLD legislative party leader Dalveer said that Ajit Singh, who is also union minister, will meet Muslim leaders from different political parties before visiting affected villages. RLD state president Munna Singh Chauhan said the state government was hiding facts.

