UP cops release photos of Kanpur violence accused

At least 40 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured in Friday’s clashes, in Pared, Nai Sadak and Yateemkhana areas.

Uttar Pradesh Police released a poster on Monday with the photos of 40 people who are accused of stoking violence in Kanpur on June 3 that left 40 people injured. We will put up similar hoardings at six police station areas, said Vijay Singh Meena, commissioner of police, Kanpur.

A police personnel sticks a poster of the accused involved in a clash in Kanpur, on Monday. (PTI)

Police also arrested nine more people in connection with the violence that broke out shortly after Friday prayers on June 3, taking the total number of arrests to 38, said officials.

Joint commissioner of police Anand Prakash Tiwari said, “Nine people were arrested on Monday from different parts of the city after they were identified.”

Police managed to retrieve the images of 110 people so far from video and surveillance camera footage, said officials with knowledge of developments. “We have identified about 100 more stone-pelters and rioters through CCTV footage and video clips,” said Anand Prakash Tiwari, additional commissioner of police, law and order.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Pramod Kumar said contact numbers of the station house officers and senior police officials will be provided and an appeal will be issued so that people can identify the suspects and pass on information to the police.

Three more special teams with separate tasks have been formed to assist the Special Investigation Team headed by deputy commissioner of police (south) Sanjeev Tyagi, officials said. The first team, comprising four members and headed by additional DCP (East) Rahul Mithas, will examine the CCTV footage, including government and private ones, and hand the footage to the SIT. The second five-member team headed by assistant commissioners of police Swaroop Nagar and Brijnarain Singh will investigate a matter pertaining to a petrol pump giving away petrol in open bottles and containers. The third team headed by assistant CP (cantonment) will keep an eye on provocative and false social media posts.

At least 30 people, including 10 police personnel, were injured in Friday’s clashes, in Pared, Nai Sadak and Yateemkhana areas, which erupted after some people called for closure of shops as part of protest over alleged objectionable remarks made against Prophet Mohammed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Sharma was suspended by the party on Sunday.

Tension erupted as protesters called for a bandh and forced closure of shops owned by Hindus in the Pared locality. The violence soon spilled to different localities, including Beconganj, Anwarganj and Moolgunj, as protesters pelted stones, fired shots and lobbed petrol bombs at police who in return used batons to disperse the mob.

This is the third time in Kanpur when hoardings with photographs of those accused of violence would be put up at important locations. Such hoardings were first put up in Sisamau in 2015, following the violence during a “Paiki” procession. A similar move was also made during the protests against the then Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019.

In March 2020, Allahabad high court had directed the district magistrate and police commissioner to remove the hoardings. The court observed that the state’s action amounted to “violation of Article 21 of Constitution” and “amounts to unwarranted interference in the privacy of people”. Subsequently, the Supreme Court questioned the Uttar Pradesh government for putting on display the personal details of alleged protesters to “name and shame them”.

(with agency inputs)