All the 63 people arrested for the riots at Azad Maidan in August 2012 will explain the role they played in the incident to the Mumbai City Collector, who has demanded that they pay Rs2.7 crore for the damage caused.

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Advocate Khalid Azmi, who is representing about 30 of the accused in the case, told dna, “According to the collector’s notice, all the accused have to explain their role in the incident and file their replies to the collector. Hence, they will inform the collector about their location on the day of the riots and from where the police arrested them for the riot.” They would also have to provide evidence of their claims.

In July, the collector’s office had issued notices to various people and organisations, asking them to pay Rs2.7 crore in damages. The Raza Academy and the Madinatullah Foundation were identified as prime accused, as they had organised the event according to the police.

But the academy, in its reply to the collector, denied any responsibility for the riots, and said that it would not pay a single penny.

The matter is before the court, which will decide who was responsible for the riots, and accordingly the collector’s office will recover the amount from those convicted, official sources said.

The riots broke out following a rally held to protest the killing of Muslims in Assam and Burma.

More than 90 people were injured, a majority of them police personnel and some fire officials and journalists.