Decoding Kasganj from ground zero
rai gate and moved towards Bilram gate
“If they were taking out Tiranga Yatra, they should have taken the main road. What was the purpose of entering the narrow lanes of Baddu Nagar?” asked a Muslim resident.
Following the clashes at Baddu Nagar, the group abandoned their motorcycles and fled towards Kotwali where they allegedly damaged some shops.
ACTION AFTER GOVERNOR’S RAP
Three days after the incident, the state government transferred district police chief Singh even as the director general of police (DGP) OP Singh shot off directives asking the police to deal firmly with troublemakers.
The police action came only after UP governor Ram Naik described the Kasganj clashes as a ‘kalank’ (blot) on the state and asked the state government to ensure there was no recurrence.
The state government also constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the Assistant Superintendent of Police (crime) Etah to probe the violence. The police arrested 125 persons after violence, a home department officer said on condition of anonymity.
He added that the SIT would probe the failure of the district administration to check communal violence and also identify the people involved for the clashes.
DGP Singh said no permission was required for the ‘Tiranga Yatra’ “Republic Day is a national festival and no permission is required”
According to him: “Some antisocial elements started pelting stones which resulted in the death of a man and injury to another. Police immediately reached the spot and controlled the situation.”
Interestingly, the investigators are yet to determine the organisation that took out Tiranga Yatra in Baddu Nagar.
“It appears to be a mixed group of people from different organisations,” said the Inspector General of Police, Aligarh, Sanjeev Gupta.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh to the family of Chandan who was shot dead in the communal violence.
Chandan’s father Sushil Gupta, 51, demanded that his son be declared a martyr. “Some people have suggested that a crossing should be named after him in Kasganj. I am not averse to the idea,” he said.