Rally organiser remanded in police custody

Maulana Ahmed Raza (25), main organiser of the August 11 Azad Maidan rally during which two people were killed and 52, including more than 40 policemen, injured, was Tuesday remanded in police custody till December 10 by the metropolitan magistrate court.

Raza, general secretary of NGO Madinatul-ilm, was arrested Monday night for murder, conspiracy, rioting, causing damage to public and private properties and unlawful assembly.

He had organised the rally to protest alleged atrocities on Muslims in Myanmar and sought permission for an assembly of 1,500. However, more than 15,000 gathered at Azad Maidan. The mob turned violent after some speakers spoke aggressively.

Media vans and police vehicles were damaged and cops attacked. Several policewomen were reportedly molested — 30 lodged complaints — and Amar Jawan Jyoti desecrated, sparking nationwide outrage.

The 3,500-page charge sheet filed by the crime branch last month names Burmese national Yusuf Khan and Salim Lightwala as the key conspirators. Of the 63 arrested for the riot, 39 have been granted bail and five discharged.

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