Kanpur violence: UP Police release photos of 40 'rioters'

Kanpur, Jun 06: The Kanpur Police has released the pictures of 40 men after scouring through hours of CCTV and video footage in connection with rioting and violence that took place in Kanpur last Friday.

The Uttar Pradesh government is also planning to put up hoardings carrying pictures of key suspects involved in the Kanpur violence at prominent places in and around the affected areas.

The hoardings will also have the contact numbers of Station House Officers and senior police officials so that people can pass on information about suspects to the police, the officials told PTI.

The violence broke out in Pared, Nai Sadak and Yateemkhana areas of the city on Friday when some people tried to force shopkeepers to down shutters over allegedly insulting remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma against Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate, according to police.

"We have identified about 100 more stone-pelters and rioters through CCTV footage and video clips," said Anand Prakash Tiwari, Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order.
Search operations are underway and raids are also being conducted at all possible hideouts to arrest rioters at the earliest, he said.

Hashmi is suspected to be the mastermind of the violence and was arrested from Hazratganj area of the state capital on Saturday.

The police have arrested 38 people so far in connection with the case.