Kasganj violence: Prime accused in Chandan murder case held
KASGANJ : The police today arrested Salim, the prime accused in the murder case of Chandan Gupta, who was allegedly shot dead during the communal clashes in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj on January 26. The police is interrogating Salim, whose two brothers — also accused in the alleged murder case are on a run.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested Saleem, one of the main accused in the murder that took place during the violence in Kasganj on Republic Day.
It is alleged that the bullets that killed 22-year-old Chandan Gupta were fired from Saleem’s house. The violence broke out after some youths forcibly tried to take out a bike procession without permission through a communally sensitive locality.
While police have formed special teams to nab the remaining accused and are probing the sequence of events on that day, they kept on edge on Wednesday with the VHP and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, carrying out Tiranga rallies in at least five districts of the State.
Earlier today, a fresh video has surfaced from violence-hit Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh which shows a group of men, armed with sticks, iron rods and guns, passing through a road.
The video was shot on January 26, the day communal clashes broke out in the city after a “Tiranga Yatra” was taken out by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to mark the Republic Day. The short video clip was recorded around the time when 23-year-old Chandan Gupta was shot dead.
Several gunshots can also be heard in the video clip, which was shot in the area nearby where Chandan was allegedly murdered. In the video, Chandan is seen driving a bike with two others on it. There are several bikes, driven at a high speed, with the riders holding up the national flags and saffron ones. The men can be heard shouting “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata ki jai”.
Anand Kumar, Additional Director General, Law and Order, said Saleem, who has been absconding since January 26, 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.
While police are questioning Saleem, they are also going to conduct a forensic examination to match the bullet to the weapons recovered in the raids carried after the incident.
