A special NIA court has sentenced 28 convicts to life imprisonment for the murder of ABVP worker Chandan Gupta, who was killed during the Kasganj riots on January 26, 2018, while participating in a Tiranga Yatra.

Special Additional District and Sessions Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi delivered the verdict on Friday. Alongside life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on each convict.

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On Thursday, the court convicted 28 individuals while acquitting two others due to a lack of evidence. Salim, one of the convicts, surrendered in court on Friday after being absent during Thursday’s proceedings. The court also issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against another convicted individual, Barkatullah, who failed to appear.

The police had initially arrested more than 100 people in connection with the case, including the primary accused Wasim, Naseem, and Salim. Many were subsequently released.

The convicted individuals include Wasim, Naseem, Zahid alias Jagga, Bablu, Akram, Taufiq, Mohsin, Rahat, Salman, Asif, Nishu alias Zeeshan, Khillan, Wasif, Imran, Shamshad, Zafar, Shakir, Khalid, Faizan, Imran, Shakir, Asif Qureshi alias Hitler, Aslam Qureshi, Shawab, Saqib, and Aamir Rafi. They were all taken into judicial custody and sent to jail.

Chandan Gupta’s death occurred during clashes in Kasganj city, where a Tiranga Yatra led by members of the VHP, ABVP, and Hindu Yuva Vahini passed through the minority-dominated Baddunagar locality, escalating into stone-pelting and gunfire. Chandan Gupta succumbed to injuries sustained in the firing. A week-long curfew followed the violence.

Chandan’s father pursued a legal battle for nearly six years to seek justice. The court convicted the accused under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), and 124A (sedition), along with charges under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act and the CLA Act.

The case, which initially progressed slowly, was later transferred to Lucknow for expedited proceedings. The Kasganj police filed the chargesheet in July 2018.