New Delhi (TIP)- A special NIA court here has convicted 28 persons 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.
Special judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi said that the sentence will be announced on Friday. The accused were convicted on charges of murder, attempted murder, rioting and insulting the national flag on Thursday, January 2. The case has drawn significant attention after Chandan Gupta’s death sparked riots in the region.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court also 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 near the Government Girls Inter College gate on the 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, seriously injuring him, 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, fuelling 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.