From bulldozers to bail to ballot box: How Nagpur riot accused Fahim Khan’s story flipped in a year

On the evening of March 17, 2025, violence had broken out in Mahal, in the heart of Nagpur, following protests by VHP and Bajrang Dal members against the tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb located in Aurangabad, leaving one dead and 38 injured, including 33 policemen.

Nearly a year later, the rubble remains on the spot, while Khan, his wife and three triplets live in a rented tin-roof shelter next to it.

Khan was arrested on the allegation of inciting the crowd. Soon after, bulldozers rolled in to pull down his house located in the congested Sanjay Bagh Colony, and registered in the name of his 65-year-old mother Mehrunnisa Khan.

Nearly a year later, the rubble remains on the spot, while Khan, his wife and three triplets live in a rented tin-roof shelter next to it.

The NMC justified the demolition as valid, claiming that portions of the house were unauthorised and that the land lease held by the Khan family had expired.

However, Khan says, the demolition team that arrived in the early hours of the morning removed not just “the unauthorised sections” but the entire house. “We had submitted a complaint about safety hazards over a year ago, and it is still pending. But when it came to my house, the notice was forced into my mother’s hands on a holiday, when government offices are closed, and the demolition began even before official working hours.”

Hours after the bulldozers arrived, the High Court stayed the demolition, saying that, prima facie, due process — including the mandatory 15-day notice period laid down by the Supreme Court — had not been followed.

The NMC justified the demolition as valid, claiming that portions of the house were unauthorised and that the land lease held by the Khan family had expired.

Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Chaudhari even tendered an unconditional apology before the court, claiming that civic officials were unaware of the Supreme Court directive.

Apart from Khan, the NMC sent notices to structures owned by two other families whose relatives were named in the riots, partially pulling down a balcony in one case. The NMC action against them was also stayed by the High Court.

Denying the riot charges against him, Khan says he had visited the police station earlier that day to submit a complaint regarding the alleged burning of a cloth bearing Quranic verses. He was not present in Mahal when clashes broke out, he says, adding that his mobile location data supports this.

Over 68 accused were identified by the police as having taken part in the riots; like Khan, all are out on bail.

Khan’s advocate Ashwin Ingole says: “We have substantial proof and have requested the court to quash the FIR. We have also sought the constitution of a Special Investigation Team for a fair inquiry.”

Prosecutor Nitin Telgote admitted to The Indian Express that there was a delay in the case. “The chargesheet is yet to be filed. We are making efforts to expedite the process, but it will take a while,” he said.

Khan believes his innocence has already been endorsed by his wife Alisha’s victory in the NMC polls held in January. She entered electoral politics only after Khan was charged in the riots, and won from Prabhag 3 ward, on an AIMIM ticket.

Speaking to The Indian Express during the elections, Alisha attributed the “injustice” to her family for her decision to join the contest. “To raise one’s voice against injustice, political power is necessary.”

Her victory was “the people’s answer” to charges against him, with all communities supporting Alisha, Khan says. “I used to run a small computer and CCTV business, and a computer institute. Children from different religions attended it. Those who knew me personally never changed their views towards me. People always supported me.”

More than losing the house, Khan regrets that their joint family was left “separated”. “My parents have moved in with my sister. One brother and sister share a small room. Another brother lives in a rented room with his wife and child… The hardest part was not jail. It has been seeing my family scattered and suffering.”

They don’t have the means to build another house big enough for all of them, Khan, who earns a modest income running a burqa shop now, says. Dreading another harsh summer with his small children in a tin-roofed house, he adds that they can’t remove even the debris at their old home because there has been no formal panchnama.

If he moves anything, it may be construed as tampering with evidence, Khan says. “They might even say that I demolished my own house… My hands are empty. But I still have my dignity.”