Nagpur violence: Eight VHP, Bajrang Dal workers surrender, granted bail

As per the police, the eight accused were produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class court. An official said the police did not seek police custody of the accused and sought that they be sent to magisterial custody. After they were granted magisterial custody, advocate Sanjay Balpande, representing the activists, filed a bail plea. The court then released them on bail on a cash deposit of Rs 3,000 each.

According to the FIR lodged at the Ganeshpeth police station, the organiser of the protest to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb, Rahul Narnaware (joint secretary, Bajrang Dal), had sought legal permission for the same. The protest was scheduled for 11:30 am on Monday. As per the FIR, the police had forbade VHP and Bajrang Dal activists to burn the effigy of the Mughal emperor, yet the workers violated the order. This was the first FIR registered by the police.
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Eight workers affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal surrendered before the Kotwali Police in Mahal, Nagpur, on Wednesday. Following their surrender, the police arrested them and presented them before the court, where they were granted bail. The arrests were made in connection with an FIR registered against several VHP and Bajrang Dal office-bearers for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during a protest on Monday. The protest was staged to demand the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb.

According to the FIR, the accused workers were identified as Dr Ramchandra Dubey Maharaj, Amol Thakre, Govind Shende, Kamal Haryani, Lakhan Kuril, Sushil Chaurasiya, Rushabh Arkhel, Shubham Arkhel, and Mukesh Barapatre, the central Nagpur president. Of these, only Govind Shende, who oversees Maharashtra and Goa, did not surrender as he was not in the city. His lawyer stated that he would surrender upon his return.

Police officials said the eight accused were presented before the Judicial Magistrate First Class court. The police did not seek their custody and instead requested that they be placed under magisterial custody. Following this, advocate Sanjay Balpande, representing the activists, filed a bail plea, which was approved. The court granted bail to the eight workers upon a cash deposit of ₹3,000 each.

According to the FIR registered at Ganeshpeth Police Station, Rahul Narnaware, the joint secretary of Bajrang Dal and the organizer of the protest, had sought legal permission for the demonstration, scheduled for 11:30 AM on Monday, March 17. The FIR stated that police had explicitly prohibited VHP and Bajrang Dal activists from burning an effigy, but they disregarded the order. As a result, an FIR was registered against those present for violating police directives.

This was the first FIR filed in the case. It was alleged that during the protest, along with images of Aurangzeb, a piece of cloth bearing Muslim religious scriptures was damaged. Videos of the incident went viral, prompting Muslim groups to protest and file a complaint with the police. However, tensions escalated, leading to violent clashes and law-and-order disturbances in Nagpur. Subsequently, five additional FIRs were registered against those involved in the unrest.

By Wednesday evening, police had arrested 19 individuals and identified six more suspects, officials confirmed.