The district administration in Kanpur has sealed six Baba Biryani shops in a fresh crackdown against those involved in the rioting in the city after Friday prayers on June 3. According to reports, food samples from various outlets were collected and brought to Agra for testing, and many of them were deemed to be unsafe for human consumption, resulting in the revocation of their permits.
Talking to reporters, the Kanpur city District Magistrate said, “Food samples from various food outlets were taken & sent for testing in Agra. In the report, samples of 6 shops were found unfit for human consumption. On the basis of that their licenses have been cancelled.”
On Wednesday, Mukhtar Baba, proprietor of Baba Biryani, was detained by the SIT probing the Kanpur riots that erupted on June 3 following comments made by ex-BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.
Mukhtar Baba, according to allegations, sponsored accused Hayat Zafar Hashmi’s Kanpur-based NGO, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Fans Association. His name had come up during the interrogation of the previously detained suspect in the case, therefore he has been on the radar of SIT and Kanpur police since the violence.
Mukhtar Baba, who had been missing since June 3, was apprehended by Kanpur Police on June 21. While confirming Mukhtar Baba’s arrest, Joint Police Commissioner Anand Prakash Tiwari stated that his name had appeared in crowdfunding ahead of the riots. According to reports, Mukhtar Baba fed the rioters and stone-pelters Biryani on the day of the mayhem. However, while speaking with OpIndia, his son Mahmood kept denying the charges.
Kanpur violence
Days after BJP Spokeswoman Nupur Sharma got death threats for allegedly committing “blasphemy” against Prophet Muhammad, horrific violence occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district, with Islamists calling for a district-wide shutdown to protest Sharma. After Friday prayers, thousands of Islamists joined the rally and began pelting stones at the police and the public.
Later, the police detained over 40 miscreants in the case and demolished unlawful properties possessed by primary accused Hayat Zafar Hashmi and his cronies. The police also discovered damning communications on Hashmi’s phone and investigated his bank accounts in order to track down money received from Gulf nations to allegedly support the violence.