Three PFI Activists Arrested in Connection With Kanpur Violence

The trio were previously arrested during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019.

Violence broke out in Kanpur during a shutdown called by Muslims over Nupur Sharma's comments.

(Photo: Piyush Rai/The Quint)

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday, 8 June, arrested three people associated with the Popular Front of India with alleged links to the Kanpur violence. These arrests now bring the total arrests in the case to 54.

Kanpur Police Commissioner Vijay Singh Meena said that the trio affiliated with the PFI, who were identified in 2019, were previously arrested during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019.

The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Umar, Saifullah, and Mohammad Naseem, Meena added.

Soon after the violence, senior officials, including Additional DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar and Commissioner Meena asked their subordinates either to seize the accused's properties or run bulldozers, news agency PTI reported.

Kanpur saw violence on Friday, as members of two communities pelted stones and hurled bombs in an attempt to close shops in protest against "insulting" comments about Prophet Mohammed by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV debate.

While the police have arrested 54 people in connection the case, around a dozen more suspects are still in police detention and being interrogated over their alleged role in the violence.

The arrested persons, including prime accused Hayat Zafar Hashmi, who was arrested in Lucknow’s Hazratganj on Sunday, were produced before the special remand magistrate court which sent them to judicial custody for 14 days, a senior police official said on Monday.

The Kotwali police lodged an FIR, for "fake and inflammatory content" about the Violence on 3 June, against two Facebook users and three Twitter accounts. This brings the total number of users booked to 13 so far.

(With inputs from PTI)