12 more nabbed; 50 held so far

Kanpur (UP): Police here arrested 12 more people in connection with the Kanpur violence, taking the total number of those held to 50, a official said. Around 10 more suspects have been detained for questioning.

Besides, a 16-year-old boy walked into the Colonelganj police station and surrendered after his picture appeared on posters put up by police, DCP (East) Pramod Kumar said.

The apex child rights body NCPCR on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh Police to probe if children were involved by anti-social elements in the recent communal violence in Kanpur.

In a letter to the Kanpur police commissioner, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said it has come across a media report which stated that a minor boy surrendered at Colonelganj police station in the city as the posters of suspects involved in the June 3 violence put up by the police included his picture.

Hence, the NCPCR said, it is of the view that the anti-social elements involved in the communal violence in Kanpur used minors for such illegal activities which are prima facie in contravention of sections 75 and 83(2) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and sections of the IPC.

Violence had erupted in parts of Kanpur after Friday prayers as members of two communities indulged in brick-batting and hurled bombs over attempts to shut shops in protest against "insulting" comments on Prophet Mohammed by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV debate.

The Kotwali police on Tuesday lodged another FIR against people behind two Facebook accounts and three Twitter handles for spreading "fake and inflammatory content" about the June 3 violence, pushing the number of such users booked so far to 13, Kumar said.

The FIR has been registered against the operators of the Twitter handles and two Facebook account holders Abu Zaid and Kaushal Patel, the DCP said.