In the 2018 Chandan Gupta murder case wherein the Hindu youth was killed in a brutal mob violence that erupted over a Tiranga Yatra in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, the NIA court of Lucknow on Thursday (2nd January) convicted 28 accused and acquitted 2 people. On Friday, the court will pronounce the sentence to all the accused.
According to the special advocate of the prosecution, Chandan Gupta alias Abhishek Gupta was shot dead in a dispute during the Tiranga Yatra in Kasganj on the 26th of January 2018. The incident was reported by his father Sushil Gupta at Kasganj police station.
Chandan, alias Abhishek Gupta, was involved in the Tiranga Yatra, which was taken out on Republic Day along with his brother Vivek Gupta and others. It is alleged that as soon as the procession reached the gate of Government Girls Inter College via Tehsil Road, Salim, Wasim and Naseem sons of Barkatullah alias Barki and Zahid alias Jagga, Asif Qureshi alias Hitler, Aslam Qureshi, Asim Qureshi, Nasiruddin, Akram, Tauq, Khillan, Shabab Rahat, Mohammad Nawab Mohsin, Asif Gym Wala, Saqib, Bablu, Nishu and Wasif and other people, who were already waiting in ambush armed with weapons, blocked the way and snatched the tricolour from the hands and threw it on the ground, shouted slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and Hindustan Murdabad and threatened at gunpoint that if they have to pass through this road, they will have to say Pakistan Zindabad.
The court was further told that when Chandan and other people opposed this, all the Muslim accused started pelting stones and firing to kill them. Accused Salim targeted Chandan Gupta and shot him leaving him severely injured and many other people were also injured due to the firing of the accused. Chandan’s brother Vivek somehow saved his life and first went to Kasganj police station and then from there took him to the district hospital for treatment where the doctors declared Chandan dead. The local police were conducting the investigation of this case, however, considering the seriousness of the incident and anti-national acts, further investigation was handed over to the NIA.
NIA led the first chargesheet on 26th April 2018. In this, Salim, Wasim, Naseem, Bablu, Nasruddin, Akram, Tauq, Mohsin, Rahat, Salman, Asif, Nishu, Khillan, Wasif, Imran, Shamshad, Zafar, Shakiv Khalid, Faizan, Imran, Saqir, Azizuddin and Zahid alias Jagga were made accused. In the second supplementary chargesheet, Asif Qureshi alias Hitler, Asim Qureshi, Shawav, Saqib, Aslam Qureshi, Munajir and Aamir Ra have been made accused. Azizuddin died during the trial of the case. Due to this, the case was led against 30 accused.
OpIndia reported earlier, how except for accused Salim, 28 out of the 29 individuals charged in connection with the 2018 Kasganj communal clash and the subsequent murder of Chandan Gupta, have been released from jail. However, today the NIA court convicted 28 accused and acquitted 1. The court will pronounce their sentences on Friday (3rd January).