Nagpur violence: 17 sent to police custody till Mar 22; court says accused booked in serious offence
Nagpur, Mar 21 (PTI) A local court here has remanded 17 persons arrested in connection with the violence in the city in police custody till March 22, noting the “seriousness of the offence” and that “prima facie the accusation against them was well-founded”.
The accused were produced on Thursday night before magistrate Maimuna Sultana during which the police sought their custody for seven days. The court, however, granted custody only for two days.
The persons have been arrested in connection with an FIR registered by the Ganeshpeth police.
The court in its order said the offences levelled against the accused were “serious in nature” and hence their custodial interrogation was required.
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.
“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the seriousness of the offence, it is necessary to secure physical presence of the accused persons with the investigating agency as it prima facie appears that the accusation against the accused persons is well-founded,” the court said.
The court refused to accept the contention of the advocates, appearing for the accused persons, that the FIR named only four of the 17 arrested individuals and that no specific role was attributed to the others.
The defence lawyers also alleged that the police had randomly arrested the remaining without any evidence against them.
The court in its order said it was significant to mention that though the names of the few arrested accused did not figure in the FIR, their involvement came to the fore during investigation.
“There was a mob at the time of the commission of offence and therefore, it is highly difficult to explain the role of each and every accused person,” the court said.
It added that the probe is at its initial stage and thorough investigation is yet to be completed.
The accused have been booked under BNS for charges, including indulging in acts prejudicial to national integration, promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, rioting, abetment, conspiracy, assault or criminal force against a woman, attempting to disrobe a woman, insulting a woman’s modesty, attempted murder, causing hurt to common man and public servant.
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.
Thirty-three police personnel, including three DCP rank officers, were injured during Monday’s violence.
The police have booked Minority Democratic Party city chief Fahim Khan, who is alleged to be the key accused in the violence, and five others on charges of sedition and spreading misinformation on social media.
Khan was arrested on March 19 and is now in judicial custody.
