Police charge 57 protesters at Azad Maidan with murder

The Mumbai police did not drop murder charges against 57 persons involved in the August 11 Azad Maidan violence in its 3,384-page charge sheet, which was filed in the Esplanade metropolitan magistrate's court on Friday.

The Mumbai police did not drop murder charges against 57 persons involved in the August 11 Azad Maidan violence in its 3,384-page charge sheet, which was filed in the Esplanade metropolitan magistrate's court on Friday.

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Charges of criminal conspiracy and molestation have been added to the case.

Two people were killed and 92 injured when a rally organised by Raza Academy and Madina-Tul-Ilm turned violent.

The decision to go ahead with the murder charge was taken after the post-mortem report of the victims suggested that they were wounded by bullets fired at high velocity.

The crime branch suspects the rounds were fired from the two stolen SLRs. Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, crime, said, "We are waiting for the forensic reports."