According to Uttar Pradesh police, the accused Saleem confessed to firing at Chandan Gupta; two of his brothers, Naseem and Waseem are co-accused
Chandan Gupta's mother, Sangeeta, speaks to the media. Pic/PTI
The prime accused in the murder of Chandan Gupta in Kasganj was arrested yesterday as the strife-torn western Uttar Pradesh town, which saw communal clashes last week, moved towards normalcy despite tension in some pockets, officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The UP government submitted a report on the incidents in Kasganj to the Union Home ministry conveying that the police were probing the violence and whether it was pre-planned, an official said. "Saleem, the main accused, has been nabbed," IG, Aligarh range, Sanjeev Gupta said.
Aged below 30, Saleem, and his two brothers, Naseem and Waseem, were accused of killing 22-year-old college student Chandan Gupta, police officials said. The killing had led to further violence last week. At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after Gupta died of gunshot wounds. Communal clashes occurred in the town last week following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day.
Admitted to crime
"Saleem has admitted that he had opened fire at Chandan," IG Sanjeev Gupta claimed. Additional DG (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said that according to the FIR and statements by some of the witnesses, Saleem was the person who opened fire from the roof or balcony of his house.
He added the police was now trying to link bullets found in the body of the killed youth with some of the weapons seized. In case there is a forensic match through a ballistic examination, things will stand clear, he said.
ADG Kumar said that in seven substantive cases registered in Kasganj, 39 arrests were made. In addition, a lot of preventive arrests have also been made, he said. Kasganj police officials said that, overall, 150 arrests had been made in connection with the violence.
Mother says
The mother of Chandan has demanded strict punishment for the arrested prime accused. Sangeeta Gupta said, "I want strict punishment for the accused. This will give peace to my son's soul".
150
Number of arrests in connection with the violence
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here
Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
