Hathras: UP STF starts probe into conspiracy to spark caste violence

UP Special Task Force (STF) started investigation into the alleged conspiracy to incite caste violence in backdrop of the alleged gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Hathras, said police officials here on Wednesday.

A senior police official privy to the development said a team led by additional superintendent of police (ASP) would visit Hathras, Mathura, Aligarh, Gautambuddhnagar and Ghaziabad in this connection.

He said the STF would also interrogate four people including a journalist, who allegedly has links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its associate body, Campus Front of India (CFI, arrested in Mathura on October 5.

A cyber experts’ team would assist the STF team to track the online trail of a website, which was formed to raise funds, to foment caste violence in the backdrop of the Hathras incident, he said.

The STF probe would also focus on people and groups behind justiceforhathrasvictim.carrd.co that hosted information about date, time and location of protests that have swept India over the past week, as well as resources on how to avoid detention, mobilize demonstration and trending hash tags. According to police officials, the probe was handed over to the STF on the basis of initial findings by a threemember SIT headed by home secretary Bhagwan Swaroop in the incident. The STF probe would remain focused in connection with 19 FIRs lodged in seven districts in connection with allegations that some political groups and other organizations were trying to incite caste-related violence.