AMONG THOSE BOOKED, MEN IN JAIL SINCE MARCH

BHOPAL/KHARGONE: Communal tension erupted on Sunday in Sendhwa in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh after a few people allegedly threw stones at a Ram Navmi procession, resulting in a clash in which two-wheelers were set on fire.

On the basis of a complaint from a man whose bike was burnt, the police booked Shahbaaz Sheikh, Fakru Mansuri and Rauf Sheikh, all residents of Jogwara, for rioting and arson.

The district administration and police demolished Shahbaaz’s house in Jogwara area.

Only, on Friday, it emerged that the three named in the complaint have been in jail for the past 35 days on charges of attempt to murder. Both cases were registered by Sendhwa police station.

“On Monday, a man filed a complaint that when the clash broke out, he ran away from the site and when he returned, he found his two-wheeler burnt. A few locals informed him that three men, Shahbaaz Sheikh, Fakru Mansuri and Rauf Sheikh, set the vehicles on fire,” said a sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP), Sendhwa. He added that the FIR was lodged on the basis of the complaint.

Following this, on Wednesday, Shahbaaz’s house in Jogwara area was demolished -- Madhya Pradesh’s preferred response against alleged rioters. On Friday, Shahbaaz’s mother, Sakina Sheikh, said her son was in jail for the past 35 days and could not be involved in communal riots.

“When they (district administration) came here to demolish my house, they informed me that my son was an accused in an FIR registered against him for rioting and arson. I told them that he was in jail in an attempt to murder case but they didn’t listen to me and demolished my house without notice,” she said.

SP Deepak Kumar Shukla, said it didn’t really matter because Shahbaaz is a local goon and constructed the house illegally.