Western Uttar Pradesh

{{Short description|Region in northern India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Western Uttar Pradesh | other_name = | settlement_type = Region | image_map = India Harit Pradesh locator map.svg | map_caption = Location of Western Uttar Pradesh in India | mapframe = no | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 300 | image_style = | perrow = 1/2/2/1 | caption_align = center | image1 = Sunset in Indirapuram Uttar Pradesh.jpg | caption1 = Indirapuram, Ghaziabad | image2 = Greater Noida at night.jpg | caption2 = Greater Noida | image3 = Delhi-Meerut-Express-Highway-India.png | caption3 = Delhi–Meerut Expressway | image4 = Kali Paltan Mandir, Meerut.jpg | caption4 = Augarhnath Temple, Meerut | image5 = Efficiency in the shape.jpg | caption5 = GAIL, Noida | image6 = Migratory Birds At Hastinapur.jpg | caption6 = Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary }} | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | mottoeng = | map1_alt = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Continent | subdivision_name = Asia | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = India | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Uttar Pradesh | subdivision_type3 = Covering territory | subdivision_name3 = *Meerut division *Saharanpur division *Moradabad division *Bareilly division *Aligarh division *Agra division | subdivision_type4 = Languages | subdivision_name4 = Hindi, Urdu, Braj, Khadiboli, Kannauji | blank1_name_sec1 = Largest cities | blank1_info_sec1 = {{hlist | Ghaziabad | Agra | Meerut | Noida | Bareilly | Aligarh | Moradabad | Saharanpur }} | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | seat_type = | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = | leader_name = | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 71,217,132 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | iso_code = | website = | footnotes = | official_name = | native_name_lang = | native_name = | mapsize = }} '''Western Uttar Pradesh''' is a region in India that comprises the western districts of Uttar Pradesh, including the Upper Doab, Rohilkhand and Braj areas, where languages like Hindi, Urdu, Braj, and Khadiboli are spoken. The largest city of the region is Ghaziabad, while the second-largest city, Agra, is a major tourist destination.

It is in the region of Western Uttar Pradesh that Hindi-Urdu originated.<ref name="Taher1995"/> The region has some demographic, economic and cultural patterns that are distinct from other parts of Uttar Pradesh, and more closely resemble those of Haryana and Rajasthan states.<ref name="leaf1998">{{Cite book |last=Leaf|first=Murray J. |authorlink = Murray Leaf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nShHkKOiPTsC |title=Pragmatism and development: the prospect for pluralist transformation in the Third World |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1998 |isbn=978-0897895736 |quote=''... Village organization and district administration in western Uttar Pradesh is generally much more like the neighboring states of Rajasthan and Haryana than like eastern Uttar Pradesh. Eastern Uttar Pradesh is more like Bihar than western Uttar Pradesh ... Of all these regions, western Uttar Pradesh is generally regarded as having the best administration, the most productive agriculture, and the best managed canals ...''}}</ref><ref name="ref48jorop">{{Citation |last=Alfred De Souza |title=Urban growth and urban planning: political context and people's priorities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I17aAAAAMAAJ |year=1983 |publisher=Indian Social Institute, 1983 |quote=''... The difference in the urban settlement pattern between western and eastern Uttar Pradesh is so pronounced that one could almost feel that the two regions were located in two different countries with completely different economic systems ...''}}</ref>

Western Uttar Pradesh has experienced rapid economic growth, in a fashion similar to the states of Haryana and Punjab, due to the success of the Green Revolution.<ref name="ghonemy1986">Mohamad Riad El-Ghonemy, "The Dynamics of Rural Poverty", Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1986. ''... Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh recorded spectacular production increases ...''</ref><ref name="rastyannikov1981">V. G. Rastyannikov, "Agrarian Evolution in a Multiform Structure Society: Experience of Independent India", Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981, {{ISBN|0710007558}}.</ref><ref name="bhatia1985">B. M. Bhatia, "Food Security in South Asia", Oxford & IHB Pub. Co., 1985.</ref> A significant part of western Uttar Pradesh is a part of National Capital Region of India.

==Demographics== {{bar box |title=Religions in Western Uttar Pradesh |titlebar=#Fcd116 |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=right |bars= {{bar percent|Hindus|orange|72.29}} {{bar percent|Muslims|green|26.21}} {{bar percent|Others†|grey|1.41}} |caption=Distribution of religions<br /> <small>†Includes Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains.<ref name="censusindia.gov.in">{{Cite web |title=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/ |access-date=6 December 2013 }}</ref></small> }} {{Bar box|title=Religions in Khariboli sub-region|float=right|left1=Religion|right1=Percent|bars={{bar percent|Hindus|orange|62.19}} {{bar percent|Muslims|green|36.17}} {{bar percent|Others|grey|1.64}}|titlebar=#Fcd116}} {{Bar box|title=Religions in Braj sub-region|float=right|left1=Religion|right1=Percent|bars={{bar percent|Hindus|orange|82.78}} {{bar percent|Muslims|green|16.00}} {{bar percent|Others|grey|1.22}}|titlebar=#Fcd116}} The population of Western Uttar Pradesh is composed of a varied set of communities and tribes, including Ahir (Yadavs), Gurjars, Jats, Brahmins, Meos, Rajputs, Kayasthas, Tyagis, Bhar (Rajbhars), Kachhi, Kahar (Kashyaps) , Gadaria, Kumhar, Bania, Khatik, Lodha, Valmikis, Nai, Jatav, Kurmis and Rohilla Pashtuns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=भाजपा को बड़ा झटका: यूपी का सबसे बड़ा वोट बैंक भाजपा के खिलाफ करेगा मतदान |url=https://www.patrika.com/meerut-news/brahmin-says-will-not-vote-for-bjp-up-election-2017-news-in-hindi-1490467/ |access-date=2019-03-27 |website=www.patrika.com |date=15 July 2016 |language=hi}}</ref>

The region in 1980s and 1990s was witness to the "sugarcane mafia" led by the above mentioned communities.<ref>[https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/how-turf-wars-over-sugarcane-factories-started-a-circle-of-crime-in-badlands-of-western-up/story-oRhZASgv15LC1pyQh983yO.html Hindustan Times]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/up-s-wild-west-rises-in-crime-status-359559|title = UP's wild west rises in crime status}}</ref> Yadavs have a small presence in this region.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dasgupta|first=Swapan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gqXDwAAQBAJ&dq=tyagi+brahmin&pg=PT47|title=Awakening Bharat Mata: The Political Beliefs of the Indian Right|date=2019-05-25|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited|isbn=978-93-5305-530-1|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Polling in UP's Jatland: BSP factor, vote transfer woes could hit Akhilesh-Jayant jodi |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/uttar-pradesh-assembly-polls-2022/story/up-elections-akhilesh-yadav-bsp-jayant-chaudhary-1905769-2022-01-28 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=India Today |date=28 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

As per 2011 Census, the total population of Western Uttar Pradesh is 71,217,132, out of which 72.29% is Hindu and 26.21% is Muslim.<ref name="censusindia.gov.in" /> The population in Khariboli region is 29,669,035, (Hindu 59.19% and Muslim 39.17%) and the population of Braj region is 29,754,755 (Hindu 82.78% and Muslim 16%). Muslim population share in eight districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Meerut and Bareilly has increased from 29.93% in 1951 to 40.43% in 2011. This has been point of contention in politics with demands for population control bill being raised from Hindu groups.

The percentage of Muslims in Western Uttar Pradesh (~26%) is higher than the whole state of Uttar Pradesh (where it is 19.3%).<ref name="toi2006tak">{{Citation |title=Minister's demand for Muslim Pradesh condemned |date=2006-07-19 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Ministers-demand-for-Muslim-Pradesh-condemned/articleshow/1773733.cms |work=The Times of India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024084952/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-07-19/lucknow/27821622_1_harit-pradesh-azam-khan-muslim-intellectuals |quote="... demand is neither feasible nor proper," said Manzoor Ahmad, former vice-chancellor of Dr B R Ambedkar University, Agra ... Muslim population which is not more than 25% in Western UP. ... |access-date=2009-07-24 |archive-date=2012-10-24 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="thehindu2002kds">{{Citation |title=Ajit Singh struggling to retain Muslim vote |date=2002-02-12 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2002/02/13/stories/2002021301391000.htm |work=The Hindu |place=Chennai, India |quote=... the Muslim presence in western U.P. is said to be about 34 per cent ... |access-date=2009-07-24}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Out of 77 assembly seats in this region, Muslim candidates won 26 seats in the 2012 assembly elections.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mishra |first=Mayank |date=19 September 2013 |title=Why the Jat-Muslim coalition has fallen apart in UP |work=Business Standard |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/why-the-jat-muslim-coalition-has-fallen-apart-in-up-113091900028_1.html |access-date=24 July 2018}}</ref> Several communities are bi-religious.<ref name="ReferenceA">A Glossary of the Tribes & Castes of Punjab by H. A Rose</ref>

The region's Rohillas are descended from immigrant groups from centuries ago, and a large subregion of Western Uttar Pradesh, Rohilkhand, takes its name from that Pashtun tribe.<ref name="ref20xucoh">{{Citation |last=Ghaus Ansari |title=Muslim caste in Uttar Pradesh: a study of culture contact (Volumes 12-13 of The Eastern anthropologist) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0HRAAAAMAAJ |year=1960 |publisher=Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society, 1960 |quote=''... confined primarily to the Rohilkhand and Meerut divisions of Uttar Pradesh. Pathans are generally considered to have come either from Afghanistan or from the Pashto-speaking tribes of the North-West ...''}}</ref>

Sikhs from West Punjab, who came from Pakistan after partition, also migrated to the area in large numbers.<ref name="ref56reyup">{{Citation |last=Bagaulia |title=Encyclopaedia Of Human Geography (Set Of 3 Vols.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffzuHq53VOsC |year=2005 |publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2005 |isbn=9788126124442 |quote=''... Sikhs also settled down in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, transforming this once malaria-infested wetland into a granary of northern India ...''}}</ref>

== Languages == Most people in Western Uttar Pradesh speak Hindi (or its slightly earlier version Khadiboli) and Braj.

===Khadiboli=== Khadiboli is a slightly earlier version of Hindi and has very minimal differences. It is spoken in the northern part of Western Uttar Pradesh. Khadiboli-speaking districts include Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Shamli, Bagpat, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Bijnor, Moradabad, Gautam Buddh nagar,and Bulandshahar.

===Braj === Braj is spoken in the southern part of western Uttar Pradesh. Braj-speaking districts include Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Aligarh, Etah, Firozabad, Budaun, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Mainpuri, Bareilly and Sambhal.

===Hindi and Urdu=== In the area of Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh, Persian loanwords entered the lexicon of Old Hindi (the form of Khariboli spoken in the medieval Indian period). This is regarded as the predecessor of Hindi and Urdu, both of which are spoken throughout Western Uttar Pradesh.<ref name="Taher1995">{{cite book |last1=Taher |first1=Mohamed |title=Librarianship and Library Science in India: An Outline of Historical Perspectives |date=1994 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-7022-524-9 |page=115 |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography== {{See also|Northwest India}} Western Uttar Pradesh shares borders with the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as well as a brief international border with Nepal in Pilibhit district.

Western Uttar Pradesh's soil and relief has marked differences from that of the eastern part of the state.<ref name="ref64heger">{{Citation |last=Aijazuddin Ahmad |title=Geography of the South Asian subcontinent: a critical approach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2QmPHeIowoC |year=2009 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company, 2009 |isbn=9788180695681 |quote=''... These differences are caused by the depositional work of rivers, local climates, natural vegetation cover and the soil. Even the difference between the plains of western Uttar Pradesh and eastern Uttar Pradesh is quite well marked ...''}}</ref> The soil tends to be lighter-textured loam, with some occurrences of sandy soil.<ref name="ref35qeciq">{{Citation |last=A.K. Kolay |title=Soil Genesis, Classification Survey And Evaluation, Volume 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0dWU_2nhMnMC |year=2007 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2007 |isbn=9788126908035 |quote=''... ...''}}</ref> Some loess soil is continuously deposited by winds blowing eastwards from Rajasthan's Thar Desert.<ref name="ref64zerag">{{Citation |last=M. Hanif |title=Encyclopaedia of Agricultural Geography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VBuPAmUqfqkC |year=2005 |publisher=Anmol Publications Private Limited, 2005 |isbn=9788126124824 |quote=''... Loess is the finest particle of sand carried by winds from desert (Thar desert) to the neighbouring areas of Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and western Madhya Pradesh. Here a thin layer of loess particles ...''}}</ref>

===Precipitation=== Western Uttar Pradesh receives rain through the Indian Monsoon and the Western Disturbances. The Monsoon carries moisture northwards from the Indian Ocean, occurs in late summer and is important to the Kharif or autumn harvest.<ref name="katiyar1990">Vidya Sagar Katiyar, "Indian Monsoon and Its Frontiers", Inter-India Publications, 1990, {{ISBN|81-210-0245-1}}.</ref><ref name="jainchatterjee1972">Ajit Prasad Jain and Shiba Prasad Chatterjee, "Report of the Irrigation Commission, 1972", Ministry of Irrigation and Power, Government of India, 1972.</ref> Western Disturbances, on the other hand, are an extratropical weather phenomenon that carry moisture eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="hbl2005">{{Cite web |date=2005-11-17 |title=Western disturbances herald winter in Northern India |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/11/17/stories/2005111702801900.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214030132/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/11/17/stories/2005111702801900.htm |archive-date=14 February 2009 |access-date=2008-10-20 |publisher=The Hindu Business Line |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="wang2006">Bin Wang, "The Asian Monsoon", Springer, 2006, {{ISBN|3-540-40610-7}}.</ref><ref name="datta1968">R.K. Datta (Meteorological Office, Dum Dum) and M.G. Gupta (Meteorological Office, Delhi), "Synoptic study of the formation and movements of Western Depressions", Indian Journal of Meteorology & Geophysics, India Meteorological Department, 1968.</ref><ref name="dimri2004">A.P. Dimri, "Models to improve winter minimum surface temperature forecasts, Delhi, India", ''Meteorological Applications'', 11, pp 129-139, Royal Meteorological Society, Cambridge University Press, 2004.</ref> They primarily occur during the winter season and are critically important for the main staple of the region, wheat, which is part of the Rabi or spring harvest.<ref name="wang2006" />

===Administrative divisions=== Western Uttar Pradesh includes 26 districts in six divisions: # Saharanpur division – Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli # Meerut division – Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr # Moradabad division – Moradabad, Bijnor, Amroha, Sambhal, Rampur # Agra division – Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Mainpuri # Aligarh division – Aligarh, Etah, Hathras, Kasganj # Bareilly division – Bareilly, Badaun, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur

==Demands for statehood== In Uttar Pradesh, "the cultural divide between the east and the west is considerable, with the ''purabiyas'' (easterners) often being clubbed with Biharis."<ref name="mazumdar1988">{{Cite web |last=Indrani |first=Mazumdar |date=1988 |title=Unorganised Workers of Delhi and the Seven Day Strike of 1988 |url=http://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Indrani%20Mazumdar.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040401063623/http://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Indrani%20Mazumdar.htm |archive-date=1 April 2004 |access-date=23 September 2015 |publisher=Archives of Indian Labour}}</ref> Also, while the green revolution resulted in a rapidly rising standard of living in Western Uttar Pradesh, Eastern Uttar Pradesh (like Bihar) did not benefit to the same extent.<ref name="lucas1988">Robert E. B. Lucas, Gustav Fritz Papanek, "The Indian Economy: Recent Development and Future Prospects", Westview Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0813375053}}.</ref><ref name="etienne1985">Gilbert Etienne, "Rural Development In Asia: Meetings With Peasants", Sage Publications, 1985, {{ISBN|0803994958}}.</ref> These cultural and economic disparities are believed to have fueled the demand for separate statehood in Western Uttar Pradesh.<ref name="kudaisya2006">Gyanesh Kudaisya, "Region, Nation, Heartland: Uttar Pradesh in India's Body Politic", Sage Publications, 2006, {{ISBN|0761935193}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-02-19 |title=RLD, BSP gear up as Mulayam exit looms |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070219/nation.htm#1 |access-date=2008-10-18 |publisher=The Tribune, Chandigarh |archive-date=23 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123124928/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070219/nation.htm#1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A separate entity would likely become a prosperous smaller state similar to Haryana and Punjab, under greater political control of local ethnic groups.<ref name="singh2001gdj">{{Citation |last=Jagpal Singh |title=Politics of Harit Pradesh: The Case of Western UP as a Separate State |date=4 August 2001 |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=36 |issue=31 |pages=2961–2967 |jstor=4410945 |quote=''... It is spearheaded by the politicians, especially a section of jats, belonging to western UP. Ajit Singh has been playing a pivotal role in it ...''}}</ref>

Some politicians and parties have demanded that Western Uttar Pradesh be granted statehood under the name Harit Pradesh.<ref name="basu2005">{{Citation |last=Sajal Basu |title=Regionalism, ethnicity, and left politics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uApuAAAAMAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=Rawat Publications |isbn=978-8170339304 |quote=''... perhaps only to strengthen his own demand of a separate Harit Pradesh comprising 23 districts from western UP ...A consequent demand for the separation of the more prosperous western districts of UP which have been the bastion of the green revolution, and have variously been named as Pashchim Pradesh or more recently as Harit Pradesh by Ajit Singh ...''}}</ref> Braj Pradesh and Pashchim Pradesh are alternative names that have been proposed, because the region incorporates the historic region of Braj and is the western (''pashchim'' in Hindi) part of Uttar Pradesh respectively.<ref name="basu2005" /><ref name="singh1992">{{Citation |editor1=Kumar Suresh Singh |editor2=Anthropological Survey of India |others=N. N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology |title=Ethnicity, caste, and people: proceedings of the Indo-Soviet seminars held in Calcutta and Leningrad, 1990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQ-BAAAAMAAJ |year=1992 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=9788173040146 |quote=''... public organizations making demands for administrative autonomy for the Braj speaking people and even the setting up of a separate state "Braj Pradesh' ...''}}</ref>

==Religious riots== Western Uttar Pradesh has a history of religious riots happening frequently.<ref name="livemint.com">{{Cite news |last=Varma |first=Gyan |date=12 September 2013 |title=Communalism gains new ground in rural India |work=Live Mint |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/Lmv1m7PQ9zb9YQlWidPwzO/Communalism-gains-new-ground-in-rural-India.html?ref=mr |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> Many Hindu and Muslim riots happened in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Manisha |date=12 September 2013 |title=Will Uttar Pradesh politics change post Muzaffarnagar riots? |work=Zee News |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/will-uttar-pradesh-politics-change-post-muzaffarnagar-riots_876091.html |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> Beginning on 27 August 2013, clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities of the Muzaffarnagar district have claimed 43 lives and injured 93.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Troops deployed to quell deadly communal clashes between Hindus, Muslims in north India |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/troops-deployed-to-quell-deadly-communal-clashes-between-hindus-muslims-in-north-india |access-date=31 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="fp1">{{Cite web |last=Adrija Bose |date=2013-09-08 |title=Firstpost India IBN7 journalist killed in UP communal riots, Army clamps curfewIBN7 journalist killed in UP communal riots, Army clamps curfew |url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/ibn7-journalist-killed-in-up-communal-riots-army-clamps-curfew-1092877.html |access-date=2013-09-08 |website=Firstpost}}</ref><ref name="hindu2">{{Cite web |last=Ahmed Ali Fayyaz |date=2013-09-08 |title=9 killed in communal riots in Muzaffarnagar, curfew clamped, army deployed |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/9-killed-in-communal-riots-in-muzaffarnagar-curfew-clamped-army-deployed/1166053/ |access-date=2013-09-08 |website=The Indian Express}}</ref><ref name="htt">{{Cite news |date=2013-09-07 |title=Fresh clashes in UPs Muzaffarnagar leave 26 dead, Army deployed in affected areas |work=The Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Fresh-clashes-in-UP-s-Muzaffarnagar-leave-26-dead-Army-deployed-in-affected-areas/Article1-1118891.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909095145/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Fresh-clashes-in-UP-s-Muzaffarnagar-leave-26-dead-Army-deployed-in-affected-areas/Article1-1118891.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2013 |access-date=2013-09-08}}</ref>

Another major riot in Meerut took place on 22 May 1987, during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh state, India, when 19 personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) allegedly rounded up 42 Muslim youth from the Hashimpura ''mohalla'' (locality) of the city, took them in truck to the outskirts, near Murad Nagar, in Ghaziabad district, where they were shot, and their bodies were dumped in water canals. A few days later, dead bodies were found floating in the canals. In May 2000, 16 of the 19 accused surrendered, and were later released on bail, while 3 were already dead. The trial of the case was transferred by the Supreme Court of India in 2002 from Ghaziabad to a Sessions Court at the Tis Hazari complex in Delhi,<ref name="ft">{{Cite news |last=Narrain |first=Siddharth |date=7–20 May 2005 |title=Justice out of sight |volume=22 |work=Frontline |publisher=The Hindu Group |issue=10 |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2210/stories/20050520001504300.htm |url-status=usurped |access-date=26 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080810064151/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2210/stories/20050520001504300.htm |archive-date=10 August 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> where it is the oldest pending case.

A riot broke out in the Kanth municipality of Moradabad district, on 27 June 2014, over installation of loudspeakers at a religious place, which was objected to by another community. The tension prevailed for over a week accompanied by frequent clashes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moradabad's Kanth village tense after Communal clashes |url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/07/moradabads-kanth-village-tense-after-communal-clashes/ |access-date=5 July 2014 |website=IANS |publisher=news.biharprabha.com}}</ref> Another riot occurred between the Sikh and Muslim communities in Saharanpur over a land dispute, killing three and injuring many people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=FP Staff |date=27 Jul 2014 |title=UP on boil: 3 dead in Sikh-Muslim clashes in Saharanpur, Moradabad tense |publisher=FirstPost |url=http://www.firstpost.com/politics/up-on-boil-3-dead-in-sikh-muslim-clashes-in-saharanpur-moradabad-tense-1636655.html |access-date=27 July 2014}}</ref> As much as 13 companies of the Rapid Action Force, the PAC and CRPF were conveyed by the government to take control of the situation after imposing curfew in riot-hit areas of Saharanpur.

==Highway connectivity== Major highways running through the region include NH 2, NH 3, NH 11, NH 9, NH 58, NH 73, NH 74, NH 87, NH 91, NH 509, NH 530B, NH 119, NH 235, NH 709A, NH 709B, NH 709AD,

*Noida Greater Noida Expressway *Yamuna Expressway *Agra Lucknow Expressway *Eastern Peripheral Expressway *Delhi-Meerut Expressway *Ganga Expressway *Delhi-Dehradun Expressway

==Notable people== {{col-begin}}   {{col-break}} ;Politics and law *Ajit Singh *Ch. Charan Singh *S. P. Singh Baghel *Ram Chandra Vikal *Sanjeev Balyan *Shafiqur Rahman Barq *Madan Bhaiya *Vedram Bhati *B. S. Chauhan *Choudhary Virender Singh *Jayant Chaudhary *Santosh Gangwar *Nand Kishor Gurjar *Azam Khan *Suresh Kumar Khanna *Satya Pal Malik *Imran Masood *Mayawati *Iqbal Mehmood *Chaudhary Digambar Singh *Harendra Singh Malik *Rajkumar Sangwan *Satya Pal Singh (Uttar Pradesh politician) *Surendra Pal Singh (politician) *Tejpal Singh *Meghshyam Singh *Rajesh Pilot *Surendra Singh Nagar *Malook Nagar *Vedram Bhati *Kadir Rana *Ramveer Upadhyay *Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan Singh *Narain Singh *Prakash Vir Shastri *Hukum Singh *Kalyan Singh *Manish Sisodia *Rajkumar Chahar *Mahavir Tyagi *Nitin Tyagi *Rajiv Tyagi *K. C. Tyagi *Satyavir Tyagi *Somendra Tomar *Ashok Katariya *Robert Vadra *Kumar Vishwas {{col-break}}

;Arts and Music *Rati Agnihotri *Raj Babbar *Vishal Bhardwaj *Bharat Bhushan *Mahima Chaudhry *Priyanka Chopra *Dalip Tahil *Lara Dutta *Arun Govil *Boney Kapoor *Kailash Kher *Dushyant Kumar *Mandakini *Disha Patani *Naseeruddin Shah *Nawazuddin Siddiqui *Chitrangada Singh *Pavitra Punia *Sushant Singh *Brijendra Kala *Parag Tyagi *Rajpal Yadav *Kumar Vishwas *Yuvika Chaudhary {{col-break}}

;Armed Forces *Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria *Zameer Uddin Shah *Jas Ram Singh *Kushal Pal Singh *Asaram Tyagi *Shashindra Pal Tyagi *Yogendra Singh Yadav {{col-break}}

;Academics/Research

*Shyam Swarup Agarwal *Shiv Dayal Singh *Jitendra Malik *Giri Raj Singh Sirohi *Kaka Hathrasi *Javed Agrewala *Girjesh Govil *Anu Garg *Abhaya Indrayan *S. C. Jain *Shahid Jameel *Vinod Johri *Amitabh Joshi *Atma Ram *Anil Kumar Tyagi *Akhilesh Kumar Tyagi *Deep Tyagi *Yogesh Kumar Tyagi {{col-break}}

;Sports

*Rahul Chaudhari *Dharampal Singh Gudha *Saurabh Chaudhary *Piyush Chawla *Kavita Devi *Bhuvneshwar Kumar *Praveen Kumar *Nishu Kumar *Deepak Chahar *Rahul Chahar *Dhruv Jurel *Rinku Singh *Manu Attri *Kiran Baliyan *Vijay Kumar (athlete) *Preethi Pal *Parul Chaudhary *Dinesh Chaudhary *Arvind Singh (rower) *Satish Kumar *Seema Punia *Suresh Raina *Chandro Tomar *Nitin Tomar *Prakashi Tomar *Annu Rani *Sumit Rathi *Varun Singh Bhati *Parvinder Awana *Shahzar Rizvi *Saniya Shaikh *Harsh Tyagi *Kartik Tyagi *Sudeep Tyagi

;Revolutionaries *Raja Mahendra Pratap *Dhan Singh Gurjar *Sah Mal

{{col-end}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

Category:Regions of Uttar Pradesh