MDP leader, YouTuber held for Nagpur riots; first casualty reported

NAGPUR: The city police have arrested Mohammad Hamid Engineer, national working president of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP), on Friday evening, for his alleged role in the recent communal violence in Nagpur. Confirming the arrest, Deputy Commissioner of Police and in-charge of Nagpur Police’s Cyber Cell, Lohit Matani, said a YouTuber, Mohammad Shahzad Khan, was also arrested and taken into custody in connection with the case. Khan too is linked to the MDP.

Meanwhile, the violence has claimed one life, with a resident of Garib Nawaz Nagar, who had been beaten up near Geetanjali Chowk and Hansapuri, succumbing to his injuries on Saturday morning.

Investigations revealed that the two arrested accused, Hamid Engineer and Mohammad Shahzad Khan, had allegedly incited the violence through social media, Matani said. The Cyber Cell found that on the day of the violence, Engineer had allegedly made inflammatory statements on his YouTube channel, leading to his arrest.

Earlier, police had arrested Fahim Shamim Khan, Nagpur president of the MDP, and the alleged mastermind behind the violence, which erupted on Monday evening in the old city of Mahal.

All three MDP members have been charged with arson, rioting, vandalism and treason under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. On Saturday, Engineer and Mohammad Shahzad Khan were produced before a local court, where police obtained a three-day police custody remand for further interrogation.

Also, a Nagpur court has ordered the medical examination of Fahim Khan after he alleged mistreatment by the police. Khan alleged that he was mercilessly beaten up in police custody. His magisterial custody remand was recorded, while the court reserved its decision on extending police custody.

A total of 67 individuals have been arrested for the violence, which has claimed one life. In addition, 92 individuals have been detained. Of the 67 arrested accused, nine have been charged with treason, apart from rioting, arson and vandalism.

The violence turned fatal as Irfan Ansari, a resident of Garib Nawaz Nagar, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning. Ansari was assaulted on Monday night while on his way to board a train from Nagpur railway station. Rioters reportedly intercepted and mercilessly thrashed him near Geetanjali Chowk and Hansapuri, the riot-affected zone. Severely injured, he was rushed to the government-run Mayo Hospital, where he battled for six days before succumbing to head injuries.

The violence on March 17 was triggered by rumours that a holy book of the Muslim community had been desecrated amid demands from right-wing groups demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb from Khuldabad, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Amid the unrest, the Maharashtra Congress has established a committee to visit Nagpur and assess the situation. Former state minister Manikrao Thakre, who is part of the delegation, blamed the BJP-led central and state governments for failing to prevent the violence. Thakre and his team, who visited the riot-hit areas, said, “Nagpur is a peaceful city, but some forces attempted to disrupt harmony. We believe this incident occurred because the central and state governments did not take adequate preventive measures. The police, too, failed to act on time.”

The fact-finding team of the Congress also met commissioner of police Ravinder Singhal on Saturday afternoon.