On Wednesday, 18th October, Congress MLA Mamman Khan was granted regular bail in a case related to the anti-Hindu Nuh violence case. The Congress MLA from Firozpur Jhirka appeared before the court of ADJ Ajay Kumar Sharma who after a proceeding that went on for around seven hours, granted bail to Khan.
According to Khan’s counsel, Tahir Hussain Ruparya, the Ferozepur Jhirka MLA was granted bail by Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Sharma as police could not produce evidence against Khan. The Nuh Police, while opposing the bail application, stated that according to laboratory tests on his two mobile phones, Khan was the administrator of two Whatsapp groups and did not prevent members from updating offensive posts.
The police also claimed that the MLA’s followers were threatening witnesses, implying that he was complicit in the communal riots.
On October 15, Shiv Kumar, a resident of Nagina, was allegedly threatened by two youths claiming to be Mamman Khan supporters and warned not to testify in the communal riots charges, according to the police. The police added that a case was filed in this regard. The police added that the investigation could be jeopardised if Khan is given bail. However, Khan’s counsel maintained that there is no on-the-record evidence for the same.
Out of the four FIRs filed against Mamman Khan, he had already been granted bail in two cases earlier. During the last hearing, Khan was granted interim bail.
MLA Mamman Khan was earlier questioned in connection with cases registered under FIR numbers 137, 148, 149, and 150. On 14th September 2023, late at night, Haryana Police had arrested Congress MLA Mamman Khan. He was arrested on charges related to his alleged involvement in planning the Nuh violence.
As reported earlier, the Haryana government had told the High Court that Congress MLA Khan has also been named as an accused in one of the FIRs lodged in connection with the communal violence that broke out in Nuh on July 31. The police told the court that they had enough evidence against Mamman Khan and he was made an accused after evaluating the evidence. On the other hand, Mamman Khan claimed he was being falsely implicated in the case, as he was not even present in Nuh on the day the violence broke out.
The Nuh violence started after Jalabhishek Yatra, a Hindu religious procession organised by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was attacked by Islamists..
Following that, rumours of religious violence spread throughout the Muslim-majority Nuh district, resulting in more stone-pelting incidents in Sohna, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Palwal. Rioters blocked roads, and there were incidents of arson, with several vehicles and a shop being set ablaze by angry mobs. This violence killed at least six people and injured numerous, including several police officers. The rioting mob also attacked a few temples in the area.
