Nagpur (PTI): A local court here has remanded 17 persons arrested in connection with Monday's violence in the city in police custody till March 22.

The accused were produced on Thursday night before magistrate Maimuna Sultana during which the police sought their custody for seven days.

The persons have been arrested in connection with an FIR registered by the Ganeshpeth police.

The court in its order said the offences levelled against the accused were “serious in nature” and hence their custodial interrogation was required.

It added that since a mob was involved in the violence, it would not be possible for the police to attribute specific roles to each and every accused at this stage.

The probe in the case is at a preliminary stage and a thorough investigation is yet to be completed, the court said in its order.

Assistant public prosecutor Megha Burange said the accused persons’ custodial interrogation was required to ascertain the masterminds and main perpetrators of the crime.

She further said the accused had created terror among citizens and had also assaulted a few police personnel.

The lawyers of the accused, however, opposed the police claims and said no specific role was attributed to the arrested persons and even the charge of criminal conspiracy is not included in the case. They also alleged that police had randomly arrested individuals without any evidence.

Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday evening after rumours began circulating about a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions being burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

Thirty-three police personnel, including three DCP rank officers, were injured.

Police have booked Fahim Khan, key accused in the violence, and five others on charges of sedition and spreading misinformation on social media.