District officials also added that retired army man Rajendra Singh told the police that he was working in his field when a group of Muslim youth attacked him. He subsequently raised an alarm and villagers rushed to his rescue.
They later opened fire and in the gun battle that ensued, three youth were killed, the official said.
He added that Rajendra Singh's claims were being ascertained.
The retired army man is a resident of Mohammadpur Raisingh village.
Two people, Arvind and Sharnu of Rajendra Singh's family, have been detained.
Communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring areas of Shamli and Meerut had left 63 people dead between Sep 6 and 10. More than 43,000 people were rendered homeless and many of them have refused to go back home, citing the possibility of revenge attacks.
The state government has released Rs.90 crore for the 1,800 families, mostly Muslim, who had refused to go back to their homes.
