A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday sentenced all 28 convicted individuals to life imprisonment in the 2018 Kasganj communal clash case, which led to the murder of Chandan Gupta during a Tiranga Yatra.
The court also imposed an additional seven years of rigorous imprisonment on Salim, one of the convicts, while acquitting two others, Nasiruddin and Asim Qureshi.
District government counsel Manoj Kumar Tripathi said, “All the accused have been awarded life sentences. Two people were acquitted, and we will appeal their acquittal. Salim has also been given an additional seven years of rigorous imprisonment.”
The special court found the 28 accused guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), as well as charges under the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971. Those convicted include Salim, Wasim, Nasim, Jahid alias ‘Jagga,’ Asiq Qureshi alias ‘Hitler,’ and others.
Among the 28, Munazir Rafi, already jailed for the Kasganj lawyer Mohini Tomar murder case, remains behind bars, while the remaining convicts, previously out on bail, surrendered over two days—26 on Thursday and Salim on Friday.
Chandan Gupta, an activist affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), was killed during the January 26, 2018, Tiranga Yatra in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. The rally, organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and ABVP, featured participants on motorcycles carrying the tricolour and saffron flags.
The rally’s entry into the Baddunagar locality, despite administrative restrictions, led to communal clashes. Amid the ensuing violence, Gupta was shot dead, further escalating tensions. The unrest saw multiple shops, vehicles, and properties set ablaze. The case was initially tried in a district court in Etah before being transferred to the NIA court in Lucknow in 2022.
