meerut, Feb. 26 -- A local court has acquitted 37 individuals in connection with the killing of eight people during the 2013 communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The judgment was delivered on Tuesday by additional district and sessions judge Manjula Bhalotiya, who noted that the evidence presented did not substantiate the allegations. A complaint was lodged by one Imran against 110 people, alleging that on September 8, 2013, a mob armed with sharp-edged weapons attacked houses belonging to members of the minority community in Kutba village. He also alleged that several houses were set on fire and properties looted during the incident. The 2013 riots left at least 60 people dead and displaced thousands of families across Muzaffarnagar and neighboring Shamli districts. Investigators later filed a charge sheet against 41 accused. During the lengthy trial, four of them - Chatra, Deepak, Devendra and Sonu - died. Defence counsel Ajay Sehrawat argued that the prosecution failed to produce reliable evidence linking the remaining accused to the crimes. Accepting this contention, the court acquitted all 37 surviving accused. The eight victims killed in the attack were identified as Waheed, Shamshad, Irshad, Tarabu, Qayyum, Faiyyaz, Momin and Khatoon. Several others sustained injuries. Police reportedly reached the spot about two and a half hours after the violence began and rescued those trapped inside homes. The violence in the district was part of wider communal unrest that erupted in September 2013. The unrest spread across several villages after a crowd returning from a panchayat gathering was reportedly attacked on September 7. A total of 566 FIRs were initially registered after the riots. During scrutiny, investigators found duplicate complaints, and 56 FIRs were removed, reducing the total to 510 valid cases....