A curfew has been imposed in several areas of Nagpur after violence broke out over a call to move the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb out of Maharashtra. The 17th-century emperor’s tomb is in Aurangabad, now known as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
Nagpur police commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal has issued a notice under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. It states that the curfew applies to Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar police station areas. The restrictions will remain in place till further notice.
According to the police commissioner’s notice, supporters of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal gathered near Shivaji Maharaj’s statue at Nagpur’s Mahal area yesterday for a protest seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb from Maharashtra. They raised slogans and burnt a photo of Aurangzeb and “a symbolic grave in a green cloth (filled with grass)”, the notice said.
According to reports, the burning of the green cloth triggered rumours as many claim sacred verses were written on it, leading to tension in the area. Last evening, about 80 to 100 people from a certain community turned violent, the notice says. Stones were thrown at cops and several vehicles were set on fire. Police used mild force in the form of lathicharge and teargas. The situation is currently under control. Four persons have been injured, according to a PTI report. More than a dozen police personnel have also been injured.
Union minister and three-time Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari has appealed for calm and asked people not to believe rumours. “I assure you all that the government will take action against those who have committed mistakes or engaged in illegal activities. The Chief Minister has already been informed about this situation, so I request everyone not to pay attention to rumours,” he added.
A total of 50 people have been detained in connection with the violence. Heavy force has been deployed in the area.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has urged people to cooperate with the police to ensure law and order. He has also urged citizens not to believe in rumours and not to take the law into their own hands. “Nagpur is a peace-loving city and participates in each other’s happiness and sorrow. In such a situation, do not believe in any rumours, and cooperate with the administration,” he said.
“Whatever has happened in Nagpur’s Mahal area is very inappropriate. It is very wrong for a crowd to gather and throw stones like this. I request all the people of Nagpur to follow law and order. Nagpur is a city where people live in harmony. Therefore, no one should disturb the peace. I am keeping a close eye on the situation,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against those who resort to violence. “If anyone is attacking the police, it will be taken very seriously,” the Chief Minister warned.
The Opposition has slammed the state government over the violence. Shiv Sena UBT legislator Aaditya Thackeray posted on X, “The law and order of the state has collapsed like never before. Nagpur, the home city of the CM and Home Minister, is facing this.”
Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP from NCP (Sharad Pawar), said the violence in Nagpur is unfortunate. “We appeal to the citizens to please not believe in any rumours. Let us all work together to maintain an atmosphere of mutual harmony and harmony. This is Maharashtra of progressive ideas. Let us all work together to maintain this identity of our state,” she said on X.
Congress leader Pawan Khera has said Nagpur has not experienced riots in 300 years of its existence. “Over the last several days, attempts were being made to weaponise 300 year old history and use it now to create divisions, distractions and unrest. These clashes expose the real face of the ideology of the ruling regime – both at the centre and in the state,” he has said.
