Uttar Pradesh: Six injured in communal clashes in Kanpur

The clashes broke out on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Kanpur Dehat.
Violence erupted in parts of Kanpur after Friday prayers .(Photo | Twitter , Screengrab)
Violence erupted in parts of Kanpur after Friday prayers .(Photo | Twitter , Screengrab)

LUCKNOW: Amid the VVIP presence in Kanpur Dehat, at least six persons were injured after communal flare-up in a locality of Kanpur Nagar as members of the minority community clashed with the majority community people and also the police on Friday.

The clashes broke out on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Kanpur Dehat.

Around 17 persons were arrested in connection with the conflagration.

According to sources, the violence broke out and culminated in heavy stone-pelting between two communities in Becongunj area near Yatimkhana after the members of the minority community, during a protest against the alleged blasphemous statement made against Prophet Mohammad by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, started forcing shops of the locality to close down. As members of the majority community protested against the forcible closure, it led to clashes between the two communities followed by heavy stone-pelting.

During the protests, many vehicles parked on the roadside were vandalized and the protestors resorted to multiple rounds of firing.

Meanwhile, some locals, including shopkeepers from the minority community, reportedly observed a shutdown on a call given by one local leader Hayat Zafar Hashmi, and had taken out a procession after Friday prayers over the alleged insult to Prophet Mohammad.

Later, to pacify the protestors, Kanpur DM Neha Sharma and Joint police commissioner Anand Prakash Tiwari took rounds of the affected areas. The injured, including Sanjay Shukla, Amar Batham, Ashish, Anil Gaur, Mukesh Dev Gauda and Raju Singh, were rushed to the hospital.

While initially the situation was brought under control, the violence resumed a little later with protestors opening fire. According to sources, additional force from adjoining police stations along with heavy PAC contingent was deployed in the affected areas. Even the police authorities applied force to disperse the protestors.

However, the stone-pelting later stopped. “The police administration is now sifting through the CCTV footages to identify the trouble makers. An investigation is already on,” said Joint commissioner Anand Prakash Tiwari adding that LIU had been put on alert.

Moreover, in the wake of the Kanpur situation, the security of the sensitive areas especially in old city areas of state capital Lucknow has been spruced up. Social media platforms are being monitored strictly.

ADG, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said that the situation had been brought under control and additional forces were deployed. He said that the reasons that led to the flare-up would be probed thoroughly and the troublemakers would not be spared. He said that video footage was being scanned to identify the accused.

Notably, an FIR was registered against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in Maharashtra’s Pune, on Wednesday, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments on Prophet Muhammad. Pune Police had invoked sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code against Sharma.

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