The accused have been identified as Amol Thakre, Mantri, VHP, Nagpur city; Lakhan Kuril, Goraksha Pramukh, Vidarbha Prant; Mukesh Barapatre, President of Central Nagpur, VHP; Rishabh Arkhel, Co-convenor of Bajrang Dal, Vidarbha; Shubham Arkhel, Co-convenor of Bajrang Dal, Nagpur City; Sushil Chaurasiya, VHP worker; Ramacharan Dubey, and Kamal Haryani, Convenor of Bajrang Dal, Nagpur City.
They were booked by Kotwali Police for hurting religious sentiments by organising a protest in Napur city on Monday for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb, situated in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
A case of hurting religious sentiments was also registered at Ganeshpeth police station against Govind Shende, VHP’s secretary in-charge of Maharashtra and Goa and others. He is not arrested yet.
The eight accused surrendered at Kotwali police station in the afternoon, following which police produced them in the court, the officer said.
Police have so far registered six FIRs against 1,200 individuals and arrested 54 individuals. Mobs went on a rampage on Monday night in central Nagpur areas, damaging vehicles, hurling petrol bombs and stones at police, and attacking houses. Rumours about a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions being burnt during protests led by VHP for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, was the prima facie trigger for violence.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denied reports that any ayat (Quaranic verses) were burnt during the protest, stressing that the violence was pre-planned. “Only a replica of Aurangzeb’s grave was burnt (during the VHP’s protest). We have verified that no ayat (verses from the Quran) was burnt. But rumours were spread deliberately,” he told the legislative assembly.
