After Kumbh blaze, cops quiz NSUI man

Already on radar of UP Police Anti-Terror Squad since becoming an accused in NRC protest-related violence in 2020, an NSUI activist from Varanasi was called for questioning after a 10-day stay in Maha Kumbh mela area.

ATS launched a probe after a blaze broke out in the mela area for two consecutive days. The activist was served a notice asking him to appear before it. In compliance, he visited the Varanasi office of UP ATS, where officials sought the reason for his stay in Maha Kumbh area, from where he live-streamed on his Facebook account and took a holy dip on Makar Sankranti on Jan 14.

The agency also took his two mobile phones to check its data and returned them on Tuesday. Before joining NSUI, the activist had tried his luck in student union politics. He claims he was never associated with any banned outfit like Popular Front of India and admitted that he came to the agency’s attention during the anti-NRC protests.