The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday exonerated the four people named in a FIR for allegedly assaulting madrasa students and forcing them to chant Jai Shri Ram in Unnao on Thursday from all responsibility and arrested two other people for the attack.

Unnao police superintendent M P Verma said the call records of the four and their location showed that they were not near the GIC ground in Unnao, where the students were allegedly assaulted.

Verma said they have arrested Santosh and Sanket Bharti for the attack. He said their two other accused friends were on the run. “Raids were being conducted for the arrest of the two others, Deepanshu, and Golu Thakur.”

He added the accused are aged between 18 and 20 and are residents of Unnao Sadar. Verma said they were present at the GIC ground as per their call records. The madrasa students they assaulted are aged between 11 and 13.

Bharti and his friends were identified with the help of two eyewitnesses. “These boys are not associated with any political group and the eyewitnesses have told us they did not force anyone to chant Jai Shri Ram during the brawl,” Verma said.

On Friday, additional director general (law and order) PV Ramashastri had confirmed the students were assaulted but said that “no religious slogans were raised”. The police have charged Bharti and his friends in the case. Verma said the police were planning to act against people who tried to communalise the issue.

First Published: Jul 15, 2019 01:40 IST