The Uttar Pradesh police arrested on Wednesday the main accused of the Kasganj Republic Day violence. District Magistrate R P Singh refused to permit the Congress delegation citing law and order issues, official sources said.
Saleem, his brothers Naseem and Waseem, were charged with killing 22-year-old college student Chandan Gupta. IG Aligarh Range, Sanjeev Gupta, said- “Saleem, the main accused, has been nabbed. Saleem has admitted that he had opened fire at Chandan.” Official reports say that he was hiding in Kasganj but two of his accused brothers are on run and will be nabbed soon.
The rupture of violence
Further investigation revealed that the bullets fired on 22-year-old Chandan Gupta were shot from Saleem’s house. Some youths were forcibly trying to take out a bike procession without permission through a communally sensitive locality when the violence broke up. Special teams have been set up to nab the remaining accused. A probe is on for the sequence of events on that day. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal carried out Tiranga rallies in five districts of the State. They demanded Chandan Gupta be declared a martyr and the guilty party are arrested. Rallies were attempted in Aligarh, Agra and Firozabad, districts close to Kasganj, as well as Bareilly and Kanpur.
From the official’s desk
Kasganj SP Piyush Srivastava said notices pertaining to attachment of properties of the accused have been pasted on their houses. Anand Kumar, ADG Law and Order said- Saleem was absconding since January 26, and was listed among the “main accused” in the FIR. “As per the FIR and statements of some of the witnesses, he is the person who fired from the roof or balcony of his house,” Mr Kumar said. A forensic examination will be conducted to match the bullet to the weapons recovered in the raids.
While tension still prevailed in a few areas, Police said that normalcy was slowly returning with intensified patrolling in sensitive areas.
Officials were preparing 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,” an official said.