A local court in Maharashtra’s Nagpur has remanded 17 persons arrested in connection with violence, which occurred in the city on Monday, in police custody till March 22. This came after the accused were produced on Thursday night before magistrate Maimuna Sultana, during which the police sought their custody for seven days. The persons have been arrested in connection with an FIR registered by the Ganeshpeth police.
While pronouncing the order, the court said that the offences levelled against the accused were “serious in nature” and hence their custodial interrogation was required. It further stated that since a mob was involved in the violence, it would not be possible for the police to attribute specific roles to each accused at this stage.
Nagpur Violence: Top Updates
1. The probe in the case is at a preliminary stage, and a thorough investigation is yet to be completed, the court said in its order. Assistant Public Prosecutor Megha Burange said the accused persons’ custodial interrogation was required to ascertain the masterminds and main perpetrators of the crime. She further said the accused had created terror among citizens and had also assaulted a few police personnel.
2. The lawyers of the accused, however, opposed the police claims and said no specific role was attributed to the arrested persons, and even the charge of criminal conspiracy is not included in the case. They also alleged that police had randomly arrested individuals without any evidence.
3. Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday evening after rumours began circulating about a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions being burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
4. Thirty-three police personnel, including three DCP-rank officers, were injured. Police have booked Fahim Khan, the key accused in the violence, and five others on charges of sedition and spreading misinformation on social media.
5. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, they said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should meet representatives of both communities in a bid to establish peace. “Efforts are being made to provoke the Muslim community through various means in the last two to three years. A minister has been continuously raising the topic of Aurangzeb. The Muslim community has no connection to Aurangzeb and has remained calm,” Dr. Mohammad Awes Hasan said at the press conference, as quoted by news agency PTI.
6. Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday evening after rumours began circulating about a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions being burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb.
