Days after the communal violence in Kasganj claimed the life of a person, politics over the issue has ensured that tensions continue to simmer in the region. Reports have now emerged that Wasim Javed, who has been accused of killing Chandan Gupta, is said to have associations with the Samajwadi Party. (Watch the video at the bottom of the article)
At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after Gupta was killed in clashes following stone- pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day.
Volunteers of organisations like the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha and ABVP had taken out the rally – ‘Tiranga Yatra’. After passing through the Kotwali area, they were about to pass through a Muslim dominated area when some people objected to its passage.
This resulted in heated exchange of words and eventually escalated to firing in which Gupta lost his life, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Uttra pRadesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reacted on the situation and said that “anarchy won’t be tolerated in the state”. He said, “Strict action will be taken against miscreants.”
On the other hand, BJP leader Vinajy Katiyar’s provocative statement, where he claimed that miscreants who support Pakistan were actually responsible for the violence in Kasganj has sparked a controversy.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Katiyar said, “Kasganj incident is extremely unfortunate. Previously, there have been no communal clashes in the district as every community lives in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to defy the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly”.
He further stated that these miscreants are the ones who raise pro-Pakistan slogans and added that the Uttar Pradesh government will take stringent action against the culprits so that such incidences do not take place in future. “Nothing like this had happened in the state under Yogi Adityanath’s government, this is a first such incident which has taken place,” Katiyar asserted.
Meanwhile, Rahul Upadhyay on Tuesday cleared the air to about his death during the Kasganj violence and said he was not present there at the time of the unrest.
He told news agency ANI, that he was informed about the rumours by his friends.
“One of my friends informed me about rumours on the social media about me getting killed during the Kasganj violence, but I was not present in Kasganj at the time of riots. I had gone to my village and I am absolutely fine,” Upadhyay said.
Inspector General Aligarh Range, Sanjeev Gupta confirmed that Upadhyay is alive and four people have arrested for spreading the rumours about his death.
In an embarrassment for the Uttar Pradesh government, Governor Ram Naik on Monday termed the Kasganj communal clash as a “blot” on the state and asked the government to initiate measures to ensure such incidents did not recur.
The governor noted that such an incident had occurred in the state for the first time in the last 9-10 months and described it as “shameful”.
District authorities in Kasganj, which witnessed clashes between two communities last week, said the situation was returning to normal even as four more persons were arrested in connection with the violence.
