R-Day riots in Kasganj were pre-planned: Fact finding team

Lucknow, Feb 6: A fact-finding team of 13 activists and journalists claimed on Monday that the violence in Kasganj on Republic Day was not a spontaneous incident but a “planned move to create polarization and violent confrontation”.

Releasing a report here under the banner of ‘United Against Hate’, the team — which visited Kasganj on February 2 — also accused the Uttar Pradesh police of partisan action targeting the minority community.

“After talking extensively to local people of both the communities, it became clear that the situation in Kasganj was not any spontaneous clash between two communities but was a carefully planned attack,” said the report, released here by retired IPS officer S.R. Darapuri, who was part of the team.

One person, Chandan Gupta, died of bullet injuries, while several others were injured on January 26 after violence broke out during a bike rally taken out by some youth through ‘sensitive’ localities.

“The police and administration, as testified by locals and ground evidence, played a partisan role, and allowed the mob led by Sankalp Foundation and ABVP to run amok and indulge in organized violence, specially targeting Muslim-owned shops and property, including two mosques,” said the fact-finding report.

The activists also accused the police of omitting from its FIR the attack on two mosques as well as the sealing of only Muslim-populated localities during the tension.

On January 27, the delegation said, the police did not stop the looting and arson of Muslim-owned shops even though it accompanied the funeral procession [of Chandan].

The fact-finding team also said that despite the videos of the clashes already having gone viral, the police report refrained from naming the hooligans who were at the bike rally and were seen firing with countrymade guns.

While a Special Investigation Team probes the incident, the police have so far arrested 126 people and registered 13 FIRs in the matter. Out of these 45 were named as accused, while 81 arrests were made as a preventive measure, a police spokesperson said.

On Monday, two constables were suspended after the door of a mosque was set ablaze in the Ganjgundwara area of Kasganj.

The fact-finding team included former JNUSU president Mohit Pandey, social activists Rakhi Sehgal, Shariq Hussain and Nadeem Khan, advocate Asad Hayat and journalist Aleemullah Khan.