Muzaffarnagar riots: Akhilesh Yadav reaches violence-hit area

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav flew into Muzaffarnagar Sunday to meet victims of communal violence in the region that claimed 47 lives.

The chief minister's first halt was village Kawaal, the origin of the three-day violence that engulfed Muzaffarnagar district and nearby areas, forcing the government to deploy the army.

Yadav is also set to go to other troubled parts of the district including Shahpur and Mirpur, officials said.

He will call on the family of Rajesh Sharma, a television journalist who was killed in the violence, the officials said.

Senior police officer Arun Kumar told IANS that Muzaffarnagar, located about 130 km from New Delhi, was calm Sunday and that curfew was relaxed during the day.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to visit Muzaffarnagar Monday.