Riots: Despite evidence, accused deny involvement
The accused trio insisted that they were out on the streets to help the victims.
Mumbai: The Aurangabad police has said that despite ample evidence that one All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and two Shiv Sena leaders allegedly had a role to play in rioting, arson and instigation of mobs in that city on May 11 and 12, the accused have denied their involvement.
Although the trio arrested on Thursday denied any role in the rioting, have insisted they were out on the streets to help the victims.
The arrested Sena corporator was captured in a cell phone video shaking hands with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel minutes after which rioting broke out in the vicinity, for which he was subsequently booked.
The police said that though they are giving their defence, of having no role in the rioting, there is ample evidence against Sena leaders Ravindra Janjal, Lachu Pehelwan and AIMIM leader Feroz Khan for their respective roles.
“There is enough evidence, electronic and otherwise, against the trio to prove their roles. They are defending themselves by making contradictory claims,” said Milind Bharanbe, senior IPS officer holding additional charge of Aurangabad commissioner of police.
Sources in the Aurangabad police said that there is plenty of CCTV footage in which the accused and their followers have been captured carrying out violence.
The officials also said that they also instigated mobs to aggravate the chaos and spread it to other pockets of the city.
The police has seized cell phones of all the accused and sent them for forensic analysis.
The officials said that the quantum of calls, which are suspected to have risen suddenly, allegedly for arranging men to act on the ground, would be also evidence. The data of these phones including the text messages will also be retrieved in the analysis.
The police has filed 12 separate cases in connection with the rioting and arson and its investigation is being supervised by a special investigation team.
The officials said that arrests of accused persons is rising gradually and has touched around 100.