Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday told the state Assembly that two brothers killed during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots were immoral and characterless persons who had nothing to do with the communal violence, PTI reported.

The investigation into the riots found that Nawab and Shahid used to sell milk, and used to visit the homes of the villagers for this purpose, Adityanath said. The chief minister alleged Nawab was an immoral person and had an illicit affair with the wife of a villager.

Adityanath said the police had retrieved a country-made pistol and a bucket used in the murder of the two brothers, following the confession of the accused. He said a chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet were filed on the basis of the confession. Adityanath claimed that while the police were working to punish the culprits, it was clear that the incident was not connected to the riots.

The chie minister was responding to Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki’s question about steps taken by the government to protect witnesses to the brothers’ murder. The Opposition legislator asked the question in reference to the killing of the two men’s another brother Asbab on March 11.

In response, Adityanath listed the names of the seven men who figured during the investigation. Of the accused, a person identified as Vasu was arrested while Bholu, Shrikant, Ajit, Manjit and Monty surrendered, he said. Action has been initiated against the seventh accused, Sahdev, under the Criminal Procedure Code, Adityanath added.

Meanwhile, the state government failed to get the court’s nod to close 74 cases related to the riots, PTI reported. “The state government has issued 10 different notifications in over the last six months to withdraw a total of 74 riot cases,” said Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh. “The government, however, is yet to get permission to withdraw even a single case.”

On July 11, a court in Muzaffarnagar district granted bail to three people accused of killing a youth whose death triggered the riots. District Sessions Judge Sanjay Kumar Pachori gave bail to Prahlad, Bishan Singh and Tendu. He said the accused would be released from jail after they furnish two sureties of Rs 1.5 lakh each.