Day after violence over Prophet remark in UP, bulldozers get into act

KANPUR : A week after the city witnessed chaotic protests marred by stone-pelting, the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) on Saturday demolished a multi-storey building owned allegedly by a close aide of the main accused in the incident, police here said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and order) Anand Prakash Tiwari said that the KDA has demolished a four-storey residential building owned by one Mohammad Ishtiyaq, who is said to be a close aide of prime accused Zafar Hayat Hashmi.

“There are reasons to believe that the investment has been made by the prime accused of the violence case,” Tiwari said, and claimed the demolition was carried out in accordance with norms.

The building was located in Swaroopnagar locality of Kanpur and was built around three years ago, police said. Authorities brought down some part of the ground and first floor of the building amid heavy police deployment. The building was lying vacant at the time of the demolition, they said.

Violence broke out in Kanpur on June 3 after former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammad, injuring at least 40 people including some police personnel.

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