KANPUR: Police on Tuesday said that they have arrested 19 more persons in the past 24 hours in connection with Friday’s violence in Kanpur, taking the total number of arrests to over 50. The main conspirator Hayat Zafar Hashmi and his three associates have already been arrested and sent to jail.
Police have also detained a printing press owner in Brahmnagar area of Kanpur for questioning for printing posters calling for a bandh to protest the alleged insult to Prophet Muhammad by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV debate.
DCP East Pramod Kumar said, “During interrogation, the printing press owner revealed that Sufian and Javed, close aides of Hayat and involved in the conspiracy, had reached the press and asked him to print the posters.”
The DCP said that the local police should be informed before publishing such posters giving a call for market closure. “Because it is a law and order issue. Therefore, action has been taken against the printing press owner,” the DCP added.
More than 1,000 posters, asking people to observe the bandh in protest against the controversial remarks made by two former BJP spokespersons had been put up in various localities in Kanpur after which violence erupted in Parade and adjoining areas of the city on Friday. Over a dozen, including cops, were injured in the violence that ensued.
So far, 57 accused have been arrested, including the main conspirator Hayat Zafar Hashmi and his three associates. Police released a poster of 40 miscreants and appealed to local people to help them in their identification and arrest.
Meanwhile, the situation continued to be tense in the area. A police team which had to Kanghi Mohal in Bajaria area to nab a few miscreants identified with the help of video clips and CCTV footage faced stiff resistance from the women relatives of the accused.
Police were bringing the accused, Aamir, and his accomplice, when a mob resisted the police move and freed the accomplice in the melee. A large police force was rushed to the spot and the crowd was controlled later.
