The Haryana Police have booked Congress MLA Mamman Khan under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) six months after violence unleashed by Hindutva groups on July 31, 2023, in Nuh during the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, a procession organized by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The violence soon spread beyond Nuh, with Gurugram, in particular, witnessing widespread arson and mob attacks on Muslim homes and shops. Six persons – including two home guards, an imam at a mosque and a Bajrang Dal member – died.
Khan, who had earlier claimed to be the target of Hindutva groups and framed in the case, was charged under draconian charges for his alleged involvement in inciting communal violence in Nuh district in July, according to his lawyer as quoted by PTI on Wednesday.
Following the violence, Khan was booked in multiple cases and arrested on 14 September last year. Khan was granted bail in two cases in October.
Khan’s lawyer, Tahir Hussain Rupariya, said on Wednesday that he had requested a status report from the court. Through this, he found that sections of the anti-terror law had been included in the first information report, as reported by PTI. He said that the development comes six months after the first information report was filed. In the past six months, no new supplementary statements or evidence have been collected and even the chargesheet had been filed in the trial court, Rupariya said.
“Khan was questioned by a special investigation team, so what new basis make Nuh police believe that he qualifies for UAPA? It is a politically motivated charge and we will contest it,” he questioned, Hindustan Times reported.
The Nuh Police has said that Khan paid persons to attack the participants in the religious procession.
