Nagpur Violence: Over 50 Detained, Nearly 40 Injured In Clashes Amid Aurangzeb Row; Curfew In Place

Prohibitory orders and curfew were imposed in Nagpur after violent clashes broke out over a protest demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb, leading to vandalism, arson, and injuries.

reset

Follow us on Flipboard

Follow us on Google News

People stand near charred remains of a car at Chitnis Park area amid curfew after violence erupted in Nagpur (Photo: PTI)

Prohibitory orders were placed in many areas of Nagpur in Maharashtra after two separate clashes broke out in the city on Monday evening. Several houses were vandalised, a medical clinic was burnt, and many vehicles were torched, leaving six persons and 33 policemen injured.

Violence first erupted in central Nagpur in the Chitnis Park area in Mahal at nearly 7.30 pm. Another clash broke out in the Hansapuri area near the Old Bhandara Road between 10.30 pm to 11.30 pm.

According to various reports, stones were also pelted at cops as they tried to bring the situation under control.

Later, a fire brigade official told news agency ANI that two JCBs were set ablaze and a few more vehicles were also impacted.

Police arrested 15 persons during combing operations in various localities in the Mahal area, and more than 50 people were taken into custody.

The police were also identifying those who damaged public property, Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal said.

Authorities also said they were analysing CCTV footage and video clips to identify the culprits, and an FIR had been registered.

WHAT HAPPENED IN NAGPUR?

The clashes erupted following rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, news agency PTI quoted officials as saying.

As stated in an official police order, on March 17, around 200 to 250 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal gathered near the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal, Nagpur, to support removing Aurangzeb’s grave.

The protesters raised slogans demanding the grave’s removal and displayed a symbolic green cloth filled with cow dung cakes.

Later, at 7.30 pm, around 80 to 100 people reportedly gathered in Bhaldarpura, creating tension and disrupting law and order.

The order noted that the gathering caused distress to the public and affected people’s movement on the roads.

NAGPUR UNDER PROHIBITORY ORDERS, CURFEW

The police said they placed prohibitory orders imposed in the city in the wake of the clashes.

Section 144 had been imposed, and the police were directing people not to step out unnecessarily.

A curfew under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (empowering Magistrates to issue immediate preventive orders in urgent cases to prevent obstruction, danger to human life, public disturbance, or riots, and can be directed at individuals, specific areas, or the general public) had also been imposed at various places across the city.

According to an official order issued by Commissioner Singal, the restrictions will remain in place until further notice, news agency ANI stated.

The curfew applies to police station limits in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.

“During the lockdown period, no person should go out of the house for any reason other than medical reasons, nor should more than five people gather inside it. Also, orders are passed to prohibit spreading any kind of rumour, prohibiting doing all such acts," the order read.

The police were authorised to close roads in affected areas to maintain law and order. Anyone violating the curfew “remains punishable under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)", the order stated.

However, the order clarified that it “will not be applicable to police officers/employees on duty as well as government/administrative officers/employees, students appearing for essential services, and persons related to the fire brigade and various departments."

POLICE SAY ‘SITUATION UNDER CONTROL’

Amid the violence, Nagpur Police Commissioner assured the residents that the situation was brought under control.

“The situation is peaceful right now. A photo was burned, following which people gathered, we requested them, and we even took action in this respect. They had even come to my office to meet me. They were told that an FIR had been lodged based on the names they mentioned and action would be taken against them," the commissioner told ANI.

“This (today’s violence) incident occurred around 8 to 8.30 pm. Not many vehicles have been torched. We are taking an assessment of the same. Two vehicles have been torched and stone pelting has occurred. The police are undertaking combing action, and those involved are being identified and arrested," he added.

“Except for areas where the clashes erupted, the entire city is peaceful," the commissioner said.

RESIDENTS FLEE TO SAFETY

Panicked residents said they saw the violence unfold after a mob, with their faces covered, began burning down vehicles.

A resident of the Hansapuri area, Sharad Gupta (50) whose four two-wheelers, parked in front of his home, were burnt said the mob came between 10.30 to 11.30 and threw stones and torched the vehicles.

Gupta was injured in the attack and said that the mob also vandalised a neighbour’s shop. He added that the police arrived an hour later, PTI reported.

As the police were called in to control the situation, a couple was spotted locking their house and leaving for a safer place around 1.20 am, the report stated.

Chandrakant Kawde, another resident, who was working for Ramnavami Shobha Yatra said the mob burnt all his decoration articles and threw stones at the houses.

Some of the residents came out in their galleries and watched as a posse of cops led by senior officers marched into the lanes.

Another resident, Vansh Kawle, was quoted as saying that the mob had covered their faces and broke the CCTV camera. They also tried to break into their homes.

CM FADNAVIS APPEALS FOR CALM, OPPOSITION REACTS

As the situation snowballed, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appealed for calm and said the police and the administration were handling the situation. Fadnavis also urged the residents to cooperate with the police and requested people not to believe rumours.

“Police and administration are handling the situation after stone-pelting and tense situation in the Mahal area of Nagpur. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed that citizens should fully cooperate with the administration in this situation. We are constantly in touch with the police administration and citizens should cooperate with them. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed not to believe any rumours and give full cooperation to the administration," a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office stated.

Maharashtra BJP chief and minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule also urged residents to maintain peace and avoid rumours.

Speaking to the media, Bawankule stressed the need to prevent misinformation from spreading and assured that an investigation would reveal the cause of the unrest.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, Congress National Spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil condemned the violence and alleged a conspiracy behind the unrest.

“This is a very unfortunate incident for the people of Nagpur as there has never been a riot here. Whoever has hatched this conspiracy to disturb the peace in Nagpur for political reasons, I condemn this. I also humbly request the people of Nagpur to maintain peace," he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, in an X post, wrote, “Instigating violence, creating instability in the state, keeping the citizens busy over the past history while getting away with tough questions on the state’s financial doom, increased debt burden, growing joblessness and farmer suicides. Maharashtra is being strategically led towards making the state unattractive for investment, it is to help the neighbouring state to take advantage."

top videos

View all

Swipe Left For Next Video

View all

Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal blamed the Home Department, calling the violence a failure of intelligence.

Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “It is a failure of the Home Department that there is such stress in this city, stone pelting and arson, and the police did not have any intel about it. For the past few days, the cabinet minister of the state has been trying to create social agony by making provocative statements. His efforts seem to have succeeded in Nagpur."

Location :
New Delhi, India, India

First Published:
March 18, 2025, 07:23 IST