Image: AP
In fresh developments surrounding a case where meat was thrown outside a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district, police have arrested three men, one Hindu and two Muslims, for allegedly conspiring to remove a local police official by disrupting communal harmony.
Readers would recall that on July 16, animal remains were found outside a temple in Rasoolpur, which led to violence and arson. The local Station House Officer (SHO) and two constables had been suspended in wake of the incident. 17 people were arrested and it was only after a butcher named Mansoor was arrested, that the sinister conspiracy came to light.
Now, police say they have nabbed the mastermind, a 32-year-old resident of Ranwa village named Kanchan Tripathi, who runs a local news portal. Mansoor and Akram, both butchers, have been identified as his accomplices.
It turns out, Tripathi wanted to have SHO Harishyam Singh shunted out, as Singh did not allow Tripathi to run an illegal kiosk outside the police station, and had it demolished during an anti-encroachment drive. Therefore, he paid two Muslim men Rs 10,000 to throw animal remains outside a temple, perhaps hoping that the resulting communal tension would cause the transfer of the SHO.
Kannauj Superintendent of Police Kunwar Anupam Singh told the Indian Express, “Tripathi runs an online portal on local news. It was found that he hatched the conspiracy along with two others whom he paid to get the job done. He paid the two butchers to place the meat outside the temple as he wanted the Talgram SHO shifted out.”
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