Kasganj Additional District Magistrate Manish Kumar Nahar has decided to extend the deadline for the public to submit evidence in the case of the death of a man during communal clashes in the Uttar Pradesh town in January, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.

Through newspaper advertisements on January 29, Nahar, who is leading the inquiry, had called for the public and government officials to give oral or written statements on the case within 15 days. The deadline ended on Tuesday.

“I have now decided to put up notices at all government offices in the district,” Nahar was quoted as saying. “They will be asked to come to my office at the collectorate and give statement orally or written and can also deposit evidence. Since no private person has forward so far either, I have decided to publish the notice in newspapers too. I hope people will come forward this time.”

He has not given a new deadline yet.

Violence broke out in Kasganj on January 26 when a group of bike-borne men, believed to be associated with Hindutva groups, allegedly disrupted a Republic Day programme in a Muslim-dominated colony. They are believed to have come with saffron flags and the Indian tricolour and got involved in arguments with the residents.

Gun shots were fired by both sides, according to the police, and a young man named Chandan Gupta was killed. The police have so far arrested 19 people, including three believed to be main suspects – Saleem, Salman and Asif Gymwala – in connection with Gupta’s death.