A view of SP workers vandalising a car with BJP flag in Kanpur on Tuesday.
A case has been filed against several Samajwadi Party workers in connection with Tuesday's violence in Kanpur. The police have arrested five SP leaders including, Sachin Kesharwani, who is a worker of the Samajwadi Chatra Sabha (students’ body), while 8 to 10 of his supporters are missing.
According to police, a conspiracy was being hatched to create unrest in Kanpur ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Tuesday. Police said that SP workers vandalised a car that had flags of the BJP and a poster of PM Modi. They also burnt an effigy of PM Modi on a roadside in the city.
The video was then widely circulated on social media platforms with an intention to irk BJP workers and create unrest at the Prime Minister's event.
However, during the investigation, it was revealed that the SP workers vandalised their own car after decorating it as a BJP car. Police said that further investigation into the matter will continue and those behind the violence will face the law.
According to reports, Sachin Kesarwani who has been held said that they were upset as the Kanpur Metro project was started by former CM Akhilesh Yadav but PM Modi was inaugurating it, so there was displeasure over it, therefore they blew up PM's effigy.
Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya promised strict action against the perpetrators. Separately, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar slammed the Samajwadi Party for trying to create trouble in the state ahead of the polls.
“As PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath work hard n relentlessly to create a Naya Bharat ka Naya UttarPradesh and #DigitalUttarPradesh , the party headed by Akhilesh n family continues its goonda conduct,” he wrote while sharing the video of the incident on Twitter.
In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed the Samajwadi Party for inciting violence ahead of polls.
"Yesterday, just before the Prime Minister addressed the rally, a video went viral on social media. There was a BJP car in that video, some lotus (symbol of BJP) stickers were put on it and a poster of the Prime Minister was also put on the back of the car. Later, an investigation was done by police and it was found that this car was also not of BJP worker but of Ankur Patel, another leader of SP Chhatra Sabha. This car was decorated as a BJP car," he said.
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