Police said Hayat Zafar Hashmi was the key conspirator as he called the market shutdown to protest against the controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammed. His WhatsApp chats have photos of the market shutdown before the violence.
The Kanpur Police has accessed the WhatsApp chats of Zafar Hayat Hashmi, a key conspirator in the Kanpur violence. Violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Friday after one group tried to force shopkeepers to shut down shops at a popular market in the city over alleged offensive comments about Prophet Muhammed on a television show.
The police came across a WhatsApp group named ‘MM Johar Fans association Kanpur team’, on which the pics of shops being shut before the violence on June 3 were shared.
The national president of the Maulana Muhammad Jauhar Ali Fans Association, Zafar Hashmi, is among the 40 accused named in the FIR after violence erupted in the city’s Parade Chowk area on Friday.
Police said Hayat Zafar Hashmi called the market shutdown to protest against the controversial remarks about Prophet Mohammed made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV news debate.
It is alleged that Hashmi incited the people, which led to stone pelting and clashes between two groups that left more than 30, including several police personnel, injured. He has been detained and taken in for questioning.