Nagpur violence: Six Muslims, including MDP leader, booked for sedition

The Maharashtra Police on Thursday booked six individuals, including Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) leader Fahim Shamim Khan, on charges of sedition and spreading misinformation on social media in connection with the clashes that erupted in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Monday night.

“A case of sedition under Section 152 has been filed against six people, but more individuals may be involved,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Lohit Matani told reporters.

“He (Fahim Khan) edited and circulated the video of the protest against Aurangzeb, due to which the riots spread,” claimed Matani.

“Four FIRs have been registered, with over 50 accused identified so far. More suspects will be added after further profile analysis. Decisions regarding pending matters will be taken by the central and state governments. Investigations are ongoing, and details are being gathered… There are two types of accused—those who spread and modify videos under Sections 27 and 25, and those under Sections 30 and 25, who spread violent videos to incite further violence…,” Matani added.

Thirty-eight-year-old Fahim Shamim Khan, the city president of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) in Nagpur, has been an active voice in local affairs, particularly advocating for minority rights.

According to the FIR, Fahim allegedly played a key role in “inciting unrest” and “urged” people to gather first near the Ganesh Peth Police Station and later at a mosque in the Mahal area, both of which became hotspots for the riots.

However, the MDP has denied these allegations, maintaining that Khan had only visited the police station to demand action against those responsible for defiling religious texts. They insist he was arrested inside the station before any violence broke out.

“Everyone in the country has the right to protest. The Constitution allows you to burn the effigy of Aurangzeb, and we do not have a problem with that. But why desecrate holy verses? Fahim, along with a delegation of our workers, went there to request action against those involved in the desecration. We are shocked that the police have booked and arrested him instead of taking action against the perpetrators,” MDP leader Alim Patel was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Clashes erupted in Nagpur’s Mahal after VHP and Bajrang Dal members burned a poster of Aurangzeb and a Dargah chadar inscribed with Quranic verses during a protest in front of the Shivaji statue at 11 AM on Monday.

Following the incident, Muslim men protested and complained to the police, demanding the arrest of those responsible. By 7 PM, VHP and Bajrang Dal members marched through Muslim-majority areas, chanting slogans, which provoked clashes between the two communities.

The First Information Report (FIR) filed at Ganesh Peth Police Station on March 18 names 52 men, all from the Muslim community.

Critics pointed out that while no action was taken against those who instigated the violence and committed arson, Muslims continue to be scapegoated and targeted by the state.

The police conducted random raids in Muslim neighborhoods, including Mominpura, Jafar Nagar, Bhaldarpura, Ansar Nagar, Mohammed Ali Chowk, Taj Bagh, and Mahal, detaining several young Muslim men from their homes around 2 AM on March 18 without prior notice.

They have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, including Section 353(2) for spreading rumors to incite enmity and hatred between groups, Section 191 for rioting and violence by an unlawful assembly, and Section 195 for assaulting a public servant, among others. Additionally, they have been booked under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

Meanwhile, eight VHP and Bajrang Dal members who surrendered to Kotwali police were granted bail on Wednesday, despite facing FIRs for allegedly offending religious sentiments.

Govind Shende, VHP’s secretary in charge of Maharashtra and Goa, was named in an FIR registered at Ganesh Peth Police Station on March 17, 2025, along with other VHP and Bajrang Dal members under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), but no arrests have been made so far.