Kasganj violence: Prime accused in murder of youth held

Team Udayavani, Jan 31, 2018, 2:32 PM IST

Lucknow: The prime accused in the murder of Chandan Gupta in western Uttar Pradesh’s strife torn Kasganj town was arrested today, police claimed.

“Saleem, the main accused, has been nabbed,” IG, Aligarh range, Sanjeev Gupta said. Aged below 30, Saleem, and his two brothers Naseem and Waseem were accused of killing 22-year-old college student Chandan Gupta, police officials said.

The killing had led to further violence last week. At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after Gupta died of gunshot wounds. Communal clashes occurred in the town last week following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day.

Over 150 arrests have been made in connection with the Kasganj violence, the officials said. “Saleem has admitted that he had opened fire at Chandan,” IG Sanjeev Gupta claimed. While Saleem was hiding in Kasganj, his two accused brothers were yet to be traced, police officials said.

Kasganj SP Piyush Srivastava said notices pertaining to attachment of properties of the accused were pasted outside their houses. District authorities, meanwhile, stopped a Congress delegation in Mirhachi area of Etah, close to Kasganj border.

The delegation was denied permission due to law and order issues, officials said. District Magistrate, Kasganj, R P Singh refused permission to the Congress delegation apprehending that their visit to the troubled areas might create more problems.

Tension still prevailed in a few pockets of the town. Police said normalcy was slowly returning while the security personnel had intensified patrolling in sensitive areas. Stray incidents of violence were reported from Kasganj yesterday but the situation was by and large peaceful today, they said.

Officials said the state government would send a report sought by the Centre on the violence and steps taken to control it. “We are sending a report on the incident and steps taken to restore peace. Details of the steps taken to punish the culprits will also be furnished to the Union Home Ministry,” an official said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said yesterday that his government was committed to providing security to each and every citizen. “Anarchy has no place in the state,” he said, and promised strict action against the perpetrators of violence, asserting the guilty would not be allowed to go unpunished.

The UP government has come under fire over the clashes with even Governor Ram Naik terming the Kasganj violence a “blot” on the state. Opposition parties have also attacked the state government over the clashes.