By Manish Sahu
THE UTTAR Pradesh government has directed the Kanpur district administration to file a plea in court to withdraw a 2015 communal violence case in which 32 people — all from the Hindu community — have been chargesheeted.
The case relates to violence in the Fazalganj area of Kanpur on October 24, 2015, a day after a religious poster was allegedly torn during a Muharram procession.
Confirming the direction to the Kanpur district administration, a government counsel told The Indian Express: “We have received a letter instructing us to file a plea in the concerned court for withdrawal of the case. However, we have not yet submitted the application.” The letter dated October 8 was sent by a special secretary in the state government.
Earlier, the government had sought details of the case as well as the opinion of the district authorities, including the police and prosecution.
Several people were injured in the violence that took place on October 24, 2015 as a group of people, protesting the alleged “desecration” of a religious poster during the Muharram procession a day before, clashed with another group from a different community in Fazalganj police station area. The violence soon spread to other parts of Kanpur, where incidents of heavy stone-pelting and firing were reported. Protesters also pelted stones at buildings and set vehicles on fire.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
