The top cop also narrated the exact sequence of events that led to clashes on Republic Day, setting off a chain of violence that continued till Tuesday.
There was no permission for anyone to take out a Tiranga Yatra, the trigger for last week’s communal clashes in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj, and it was not escorted by police, state DGP OP Singh has said.
Was the violence planned? “We are carrying out investigations. We are keeping our fingers crossed on whether it was planned. Our primary objective, as the violence broke out, was to maintain law and order. We have constituted an SIT, assisted by an STF,” Singh told DNA in an exclusive interview.
The top cop also narrated the exact sequence of events that led to clashes on Republic Day, setting off a chain of violence that continued till Tuesday. “It was all of a sudden that the procession reached a certain locality, a mixed locality, where a scuffle started. Two groups started fighting and pelting stones. Amid this, there were gunshots that killed one youth and wounded another,” he said.
On Republic Day, at least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after one person, Chandan Gupta, was killed in clashes following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate the day.
Organisations like the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Mahasabha and ABVP had taken out the rally - 'Tiranga Yatra'.
Some people objected to its passage and this resulted in heated exchange of words.
Eventually, the matter escalated and firing took place in which Gupta lost his life.
The prime accused in the murder of Chandan Gupta in was arrested on Wednesday.
The UP government has come under fire over the clashes with even Governor Ram Naik terming the Kasganj violence a "blot" on the state. Opposition parties have also attacked the state government over the clashes.
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