Kasganj violence: NIA court sentences 28 convicts to life imprisonment
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Lucknow: A special NIA court here sentenced 28 convicts to life imprisonment on Friday in connection with the Kasganj violence case.
Special judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi also imposed a fine of Rs 80,000 on each convict.
On January 2, the special NIA court here convicted 28 people in connection with the murder of Chandan Gupta, who was shot dead in a communal clash that broke out during a 2018 Tiranga Yatra in Kasganj.
The accused were convicted on charges of murder, attempted murder, rioting and insulting the national flag.
The case drew significant attention after Chandan Gupta's death sparked riots in the region.
The court on Friday sentenced the convicts to life imprisonment.
Earlier, on the quantum of sentence, the court heard the pleas of thedefence as well as the prosecution, which had demanded the severest punishment for all the convicts.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court acquitted Nasiruddin and Asim Qureshi, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to convict them.
On the morning of January 26, 2018, Chandan Gupta and his brother Vivek Gupta took part in a Tiranga Yatra. When the procession reached the Government Girls Inter College gate on Tehsil Road, a group, including Salim, Wasim and Naseem, allegedly blocked the road and stopped the procession, a government counsel said.
When Chandan objected, the situation escalated and stone-pelting began from the side of the accused, the lawyer said.
Salim, one of the main accused, shot Chandan, he said. Despite the grave injury, Vivek and their companions managed to rush Chandan to the Kasganj police station, from where he was immediately transferred to the district hospital where he was declared dead shortly after arrival.
The murder of Chandan led to widespread riots in Kasganj for three days, fueling communal tensions in the region. Chandan's father Sushil Gupta lodged a murder complaint.
In September 2019, the Kasganj Sessions Court framed charges against 23 individuals. Later, in November 2019, charges were framed against an additional seven persons.
The charges included Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 307/149 (attempted murder), 302/149 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 336 (endangerment), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and Section 124K (insult to national flag) of the Indian Penal Code. Additionally, several of the accused faced charges under the Arms Act for possession of firearms.
The trial was transferred to the Lucknow court after initial proceedings in Kasganj.