On 17th March, Nagpur witnessed one of its most violent communal incidents in recent years. Over 100 vehicles were burnt, and Hindu homes and shops were vandalised in Hansapuri. The violence reportedly flared up following rumours of desecration of the Quran by members of Hindu groups during protests against Aurangzeb’s tomb.
Security agencies now believe that Syed Asim Ali, a man facing trial for conspiring in the brutal murder of Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari in 2019, was at the centre of the violence. Intelligence reports have revealed that he was seen on CCTV at riot epicenter mobilising Islamists outside Ganeshpeth police station just hours before violence erupted.
Furthermore, his mobile records traced his presence at multiple flash points and showed calls to several individuals who are now under arrest. Notably, he had been rallying youth against the proposed Maharashtra Security Act alongside Fahim Khan, another accused in the Nagpur violence. Khan had even contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Nagpur against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on a Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) ticket. MDP’s founder and chief, Hamid Engineer, has also been arrested in connection with the Nagpur violence.
Syed Asim Ali is also a former candidate of the MDP but received only 600 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections against Nitin Gadkari. Though he was arrested in connection with Tiwari’s murder and later released by the Supreme Court in 2024, Ali remained active in community mobilisation, specifically among radicalised youth. Following the violence, he disappeared.
Times of India quoted an unnamed intelligence officer saying, “Ali is untraceable since violence erupted in Nagpur. No one seems to have any clue about him even at his Zingabai Takli home or at his business outlet at Hansapuri. He’s aware police are trying to track him down.”
Kamlesh Tiwari murder – The slogan, the planning and Syed Asim Ali’s role
In 2019, Syed Asim Ali was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow. Tiwari was brutally stabbed and shot in his office in broad daylight. The murder was fuelled by Islamist hate. Though Asim was not at the crime scene, he allegedly played a vital role in the conspiracy to kill Tiwari.
Back in 2017, Asim had created a front called the “Humanity Democratic Party”. Under its banner, he released a video titled “Kamlesh Tiwari apni maut ke kareeb hai, sirf maut ki saza ka haqdar hai”. The video effectively promoted killing him in cold blood over so-called blasphemy. Syed’s role, while contesting his bail plea in Sessions Court, was described by the prosecution as that of an ideological mobiliser.
The prosecution informed the court that Asfaq and Moinuddin, the main accused in the case, got in touch with Asim after watching the video and joined his front. Asfaq and Moinuddin were already planning to murder Tiwari since 2016. Furthermore, he was allegedly involved in the planning of Tiwari’s murder. The Lucknow court, citing the gravity of charges and his deep link to the communal conspiracy, had denied him bail in 2020.
Supreme Court granted bail despite serious allegations
Asim applied for bail in Allahabad High Court but his bail was denied on the grounds of “extreme communal hatred”. Later, in July 2024, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail, overruling the Allahabad High Court’s judgment. The apex court observed that while Asim was allegedly in touch with the main accused in the case and meant to provide legal aid, there were no other criminal antecedents against him.
The court further observed that Asim had already been incarcerated for over four and a half years, and 8 of the 13 accused had been released on bail. Sixteen of the 25 prosecution witnesses had already been examined by that time. The Bench, led by Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, decided to grant him bail.
While the Sessions Court and High Court flagged multiple concerns in their judgments while denying him bail, the Supreme Court showed leniency and effectively allowed Asim to walk free on bail. However, less than a year later, he vanished after allegedly being involved in hatching a conspiracy to cause violence in Nagpur.
Syed Asim Ali’s social media accounts still active
Interestingly, the Facebook page, Instagram account and YouTube channel of Syed Asim Ali are still active. On 2nd October 2024, he posted a video announcing his return to social media, less than three months after the apex court granted him bail.
Another interesting aspect that came to the fore was that Asim was in talks with Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party in mid-January this year, and there were speculations that he might join it.
On 13th January, he confirmed his ongoing discussions with the party and asked his followers to join a Google Meet session.
OpIndia also spotted an old video that Asim uploaded on his old Facebook Page in 2018 where he openly called for murder of Kamlesh Tiwari.
In another video, followers of his party were seen burning an effigy of Kamlesh Tiwari. The title of the video clearly stated members of MDP would burn Kamlesh alive.
Despite his alleged role in Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder, the Azad Samaj Party attempted to rope him in, and he continued to maintain an active presence on social media.
