Communal tension in UP's Kanpur after vendor throws hot tea at teenager

A fruit vendor has been arrested for allegedly throwing hot tea on a young man dressed as a member of Hanuman’s Vanar Sena for a shobha yatra in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, leading to communal tension in the area.

The incident happened in the Maitha Bazar area of Kanpur dehat on Tuesday, 26 September. The fruit vendor Shanu Ahmad, 27, was arrested later.

As per reports, the youth had allegedly picked up a banana from the vendor’s cart, leading to a scuffle. “The accused said that he did not throw the tea on (the youth) with any wrong intention, but it instead fell on the teenager during a scuffle,” said Shivli police inspector Shiv Narain Singh.

Communal tension prevailed in the area following the incident as Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists and Bajrang Dal volunteers reached the spot and created a ruckus, demanding strict action against the culprit.

“The accused has been arrested and booked under IPC’s sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (punishment for insulting someone intentionally to provoke him/her) and 506 (criminal intimidation),” said Shivli police inspector Shiv Narain Singh.

He said that the situation in the area is slowly returning to normal after heavy deployment of police forces. Additional superintendent of police Rajesh Pandey appealed to people not to spread any rumours regarding this incident.

The complainant, Surendra Kumar, 18, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment by his cohort who were participating in the shobha yatra. No charges of provocation have been reported against the young man.