Overview

• Nine accused in the March Nagpur riots were granted bail after the court determined that further custody served no legal purpose once investigations concluded and the chargesheet was filed.
• The court set personal bonds of ₹1 lakh for each individual and imposed conditions including regular reporting to police, mandatory attendance at trial proceedings and a prohibition on influencing witnesses.
• The violence on March 17 began as Vishwa Hindu Parishad protests demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb and descended into large-scale stone pelting, arson and petrol bomb attacks that injured 33 police officers.
• Nagpur police arrested more than 123 people—among them 19 juveniles—and evidence showed rioters were mobilized through social media platforms and a WhatsApp group named “Sunni Youth Force.”
• Calls to remove the tomb had surged following the February release of “Chhaava,” a film about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, highlighting longstanding communal sensitivities over Mughal-era legacies.