Police arrests Fahim Khan, mastermind behind Nagpur riots

Maharashtra: Police have identified Fahim Khan as the mastermind behind the Nagpur violence, claiming that his provocative speech instigated the clashes, injuring several and leading to mass-scale unrest. Nagpur Police on Wednesday arrested Fahim Shamim Khan, a local MDP leader, who has been identified as the suspected mastermind of the communal violence that broke out in the city on March 17, injuring several individuals.

Fahim Khan gets arrested

Khan was arrested only hours after his name had been officially added to an FIR lodged at the Ganeshpeth Police Station. Police released his photo in the morning, and a video emerged of Khan allegedly making a provocative speech seconds before the attacks erupted. The 38-year-old MDP city president of Sanjay Bagh Colony in Yashodhara Nagar has been remanded to police custody until March 21. Senior police officials say that the initial investigations and the video footage indicate Khan's inflammatory speech was the direct cause of the escalation of tensions, leading to clashes between communities in the locality. 

Fahim Khan fought  2024 Lok Sabha election from Nagpur constituency

Fahim Khan fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Nagpur constituency on the ticket of the Minorities Democratic Party. Interestingly, he faced senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari but lost by a record margin of more than 6.5 lakhs votes.Violence erupted in Nagpur's Chitnis Park on Monday as battles erupted over speculation of a community's sacred text being defiled during a protest by right-wing groups calling for the demolition of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's mausoleum in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Mobs targeting police with stones, injuring 34 personnel

The commotion soon went out of hand, with rampaging mobs targeting police with stones, injuring 34 personnel. Complaint was filed against the protesters following the agitation alleging that they have offended the religious sentiments of a community. The FIR was lodged on the basis of the complaint. Interestingly, no one has been arrested as yet.

While this is going on, a top government official stated that the situation in Nagpur is normal with regard to law and order, but curfew remains in place in most sensitive parts of the city. Another official informed news agency that over 2,000 armed police personnel have been stationed in the sensitive areas.