A court in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday acquitted 37 individuals in connection with the killing of eight persons during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, citing a lack of evidence, PTI reported.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotiya observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the 37 persons accused in the case beyond reasonable doubt.

During the proceedings, the counsel for the government had said that a complaint had been filed by a man named Imran against 110 persons, according to the news agency.

In his complaint, Imran had claimed that a mob armed with sharp-edged weapons attacked houses belonging to members of the Muslim community in Kutba village on September 8, 2013. Several houses were also set on fire and properties were looted during the incident, the complainant had alleged.

Communal violence had erupted in Muzaffarnagar in September 2013 after Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Suresh Rana, former party MLA Sangeet Som and former MP Bharatendra Singh allegedly made inflammatory speeches.

At least 60 persons were killed and thousands of Muslim families were displaced in the riots that followed. There were also several reports of sexual assault and abuse in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts.