Mumbai April 22 (UNI) A Judicial Magistrate of First Class (JMFC) court granted bail to Hamid Engineer, a key accused of March 17 Nagpur violence in Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday.

While granting bail, the court directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000. He has been further directed not to hamper and temper with the evidence.

In his bail plea, Engineer argued that he was falsely implicated in the case as he was the one who had lodged a complaint against nine persons of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal for shouting slogans at Aurangzeb's tomb.

Hamid, an ex-employee of the Public Works Department (PWD), is a founder and working president of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP). He was arrested by the cyber cell of Nagpur police over the violence in the city following a call by right-wing groups to remove Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb.

Hamid was once known as a vocal community figure. He is facing sedition and rioting charges for allegedly inciting communal tensions through inflammatory speeches and mentoring riot mastermind Fahim Khan.

Hamid made headlines in 2022 for his controversial statement against former BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma, threatening her.

Hamid’s public journey began as a PWD employee, where he earned the nickname “Engineer”. In 2002, he entered public life when a theological and administrative battle over a mosque in the Mominpura area of Nagpur drew his attention towards community activism.

The dispute pushed Hamid to establish a religious organisation named Iman Tanzim.

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