MUZAFFARNAGAR: Seven men were held guilty of killing two youths in Kawal village in an attack which believed to have triggered the infamous Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013. The violence had left over 60 dead and hundreds injured. The verdict in the case was pronounced by a local court here. Additional District and Sessions Judge Himashu Bhatnagar convicted Muzammil, Mujassim, Furkan, Nadeem, Janangir, Afzal and Ikbal for killing Gaurav and Sachin on August 27, 2013 and rioting, PTI reported quoting district prosecution counsel Rajiv Sharma.

The quantum of their sentences will be pronounced on Friday.

According to the First Information Report, the two youths of Kawal village under Jansath police station area were battered to death by the five of thee men. The two other accused, Afzal and Iqbal, however, were summoned by the court later under provisions of section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code when the evidence of their complicity in the killings emerged during the trial.

The court convicted the seven after examining 10 prosecution witnesses and six in their defence. As per official figures, given by prosecution counsel Sharma, over 6,000 cases were lodged following the 2013 riots and 1,480 accused were arrested for their  alleged roles in the riots.

A special investigation team, which probed the cases, had filed chargesheets in 175 cases. Fifty-six of them involving 430 accused resulted in acquittal. The state government has withdrawn some cases.