Kanpur riots: 24 arrested; 800 booked, illegal properties of accused to be demolished

The Uttar Pradesh police arrested 24, including the suspected mastermind, booked 800 people and detained 12 for questioning in connection with the rioting and violence that had broken out in Kanpur, officials said on Saturday (June 4).

Among those arrested is the suspected mastermind behind the violence, Hayat Zafar Hashmi, the chief of Maulana Mohammed Ali (MMA) Jauhar Fans Association which is a local social group.

The accused will be booked under the stringent National Security Act and the Gangster Act, said the Kanpur police commissioner V S Meena, adding that the role of groups like the Popular Front of India (PFI) and others will be looked into as well.

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Illegal properties of those involved in the violence will be seized or demolished, said additional director general (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar.

A clash had broken out between two groups belonging to different communities allegedly over a market shutdown on Friday. Two persons and one policeman were injured in the aftermath of the clashes.

“We have identified 36 people who were involved in the violence with help of CCTV footage and other video recordings of the incidents. A total of 24 people have been arrested so far of which 18 were held on Friday,” the Kanpur police commissioner said.

“The arrested accused will be produced in court and we will seek 14 days of police remand to interrogate them about the conspiracy behind the incident,” the officer said, adding that they were probing the incident from various angles and looking into the involvement of groups like PFI and others.

“We are also looking into the aspect of foreign funding. Anyone who is found guilty will not be spared,” Meena told reporters.