Azad Maidan riot case: Charge sheet filed against 58 accused

 Police today filed a charge sheet against 58 people in connection with the Azad Maidan violence case of August 11 in which two persons were killed and 92 injured.

The 3,384-page charge sheet, which contains statements of 851 witnesses, was filed by Mumbai Crime Branch in the Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate P S Rathod.

The violence took place at a protest rally at the Maidan against alleged atrocities on Muslims in Assam and Myanmar.

Police had arrested 63 accused, of whom five were discharged due to lack of evidence. Forty-five people were granted bail. One more accused is a minor against whom a separate charge sheet was filed in a juvenile court. Twelve persons are in judicial custody.

The first arrest was made on the day of riots, August 11, while the last arrest was made on October 20. Of the arrested accused, two, namely Yusuf Ahmed Hussain Khan and Sayyed Salim Anwar Pasha, are charged with conspiring to engineer riots.

The charge sheet, running into six volumes, has named 20 people as suspects including former ACP Shamsher Khan Pathan, religious teachers Maulana Moinuddin Anwar Asraf Sayed, Imam Maulana Sayed Siraj Azhar Mohammed, Maulana Rehmetulla Noori and advocate Sushil Kumar Punamchand Alwasia.

The charge sheet also said that there were 3,942 unknown accused, who had been charged with various sections of IPC including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntary causing hurt by dangerous means), wantonly giving provocation with intention to cause riots and 120-b (conspiracy).

Besides, the accused are also charged with offences under Arms Act and Damage to Public Property Act.

Of the arrested accused, four are facing charges of molestation of two women cops.

Of the 92 injured, 76 were policemen, 2 fire brigade officers and four journalists. According to the charge sheet, total damage to property was to the tune of Rs 2.74 crore, of which damage to government property was Rs 33.4 lakh.