Fahim Khan has been identified by police as the mastermind of the violence in Nagpur, claiming that his provocative remarks set off the altercations, which resulted in multiple injuries and widespread discontent.
Fahim Shamim Khan, a local leader of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) and the suspected architect of the sectarian violence that broke out in the city on March 17 and left multiple persons injured, was taken into custody by Nagpur Police on Wednesday.
Hours after Khan’s name was formally added to a formal complaint filed at the Ganeshpeth Police Station, he was taken into custody. His picture was made public by the police earlier in the day, and a video purportedly captured Khan making an inciting speech just prior to the incident.
The 38-year-old activist, who lives in Yashodhara Nagar’s Sanjay Bagh Colony and serves as the MDP’s city president, has been placed under police arrest till March 21.
Senior police officers claim that the video evidence and preliminary investigations indicate Khan’s aggressive speech directly fuelled tensions and conflicts amongst local groups.
Fahim Khan ran for the Minorities Democratic Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Nagpur seat. Notably, he lost by a massive margin of more than 6.5 lakh votes against Union Minister and prominent BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
On Monday, a right-wing demonstration seeking the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar sparked violence in Nagpur’s Chitnis Park neighbourhood over reports that a community’s sacred book had been desecrated. Mobs threw stones at police as the disturbance swiftly got out of control, injuring 34 officers.
Following the disturbance, a complaint was filed against the demonstrators, claiming that they had offended the community’s religious feelings. The complaint led to the filing of a formal complaint. Interestingly, no one has been arrested as of yet.
