In Madhya Pradesh, Rioting Accused's Family Says He Was In Hospital

Two persons named accused of rioting in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone during Ram Navami were not even present at the spot of the clashes, their family members have claimed.

The two are now scared to return to Indore because they fear arrest, their families and neighbours said.

Farid has been named as an accused in two cases of rioting registered at Khargone police station on April 11 and 12. Azam is a co-accused with Mr Farid in the April 12 case. The two are accused of rioting and setting on fire the properties of residents in Khargone's Sanjay Nagar on April 10.

Mr Farid's family said he was undergoing treatment at the District Hospital's Orthopaedic Trauma Ward following injuries due to a fall. His sister-in-law Anjum Bi told NDTV that Mr Farid was in hospital from April 9 to 11 after he fell while cleaning the house. "How can my brother-in-law Farid commit any crime when he was under treatment at the hospital on April 10?"

She said they don't know of Mr Farid's whereabouts now and that his phone has been off since April 11.

The family showed documents of discharge from the hospital to support their claim.

Mr Farid's brother Rafiq (Anjum Bi's husband) and father Subhaan, are also among the 11 accused named in the FIR lodged on April 12.

Mr Azam, a co-accused, was in Karnataka to deliver bakery products, his wife Farida told NDTV. "He had left Khargone on April 8 with bakery products for Karnataka. From there, he went to Solapur and Dhule in Maharashtra. On his way back, he reached Indore on April 14. He then called us and said he was falsely named in the FIR. Since then he is untraceable," she said. "We don't know where he is now, we're worried about his safety and want justice," she added.

Asked about the matter, senior police officer Ankit Jaiswal said, "All the FIRs have been lodged on the complaints of victims. If the allegations of the families of those named as accused are found true, then corrective action would be taken during the investigation."

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh police's investigation into the recent clashes came under the scanner when three men, who were in jail since March, were named as accused in a case relating to violence in Barwani district.

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