Lucknow:Local Muslim leader Hayat Zafar Hashmi has been identified as the mastermind behind the violence that broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur on Friday after Friday prayers. Hashmi is one of the 40 named accused in the FIR registered by the police. It is being told that the police have arrested Hayat Zafar. Hashmi's arrest assumes significance as he has earlier participated in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). At the same time, the BJP has termed the violence as pre-planned violence. He said it was deliberately carried out while the PM, president and chief minister were in the district. Kanpur Police said, maulana Muhammad Jauhar Ali Fans Association national president Hayat Zafar Hashmi had appealed for a market bandh in protest against bjp spokesperson Nupur Sharma's alleged derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate. According to media reports, in the past, Hashmi was also allegedly involved in violent protests against the proposed CAA and NRC in Kanpur. It is being told that Hashmi has been arrested by the police. It is alleged that Hashmi instigated the people, which was followed by stone pelting and clashes between two communities, in which more than 30 people, including several police personnel, were injured. Police are taking some of the accused into custody and interrogating them. Railways earned crores of rupees from ticketless passengers A rise in cotton prices could push Indian planting to new highs Indore traffic cop Ranjeet honored with Bharat Gaurav Award