NAGPUR: Violence erupted in central Nagpur on Monday with stones hurled at police amid 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, leaving six persons and three policemen injured, officials said.
Police arrested 15 persons during combing operations in various localities in the Mahal area.
Earlier, police fired tear gas shells and resorted to cane-charging to disperse the mob in Mahal, which houses the RSS headquarters. Violence also reportedly spread to Kotwali and Ganeshpeth in the late afternoon, officials said.
DCP Niketan Kadam was seriously injured during a combing operation, while two other cops also sustained injuries.
Officials said the Chitnish Park to Shukrawari Talao road belt was most affected by violence, as per the preliminary information, where some four-wheelers were set afire by rioters. Stones were also thrown at the homes of residents.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister from Nagpur, Nitin Gadkari, have appealed for peace and harmony in the wake of the violence.
According to police, the trouble began late in the afternoon shortly after Bajrang Dal members demonstrated near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Mahal area.
Police said rumours spread that the Quran was burnt during the agitation. Videos of the Bajrang Dal demonstration quickly went viral on social media, leading to outrage among members of the Muslim community.
A complaint was lodged at Ganeshpeth police station in the evening alleging the burning of the holy book.
Following the complaint, a large number of Muslim community members started gathering in various parts of the Mahal area, police said.
Sensing trouble, police intensified patrolling and summoned additional security forces to maintain law and order.
An official said stones were thrown at police personnel in the Chitnis Park area, following which police fired tear gas shells.
He said there are reports of violence in other areas as well.
Bajrang Dal office-bearers, however, refuted the allegations and claimed that they had only burnt an effigy of Aurangzeb as part of their demonstration.
A senior police official confirmed that security had been tightened in sensitive areas, with Quick Response Teams (QRT), Riot Control Police, and the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) being deployed. Additional police personnel from various stations were also summoned.
Police launched combing operations and arrested 15 persons for violence, an official said, adding that the situation continues to be tense.
Fadnavis has called for calm and asked people not to believe rumours.
“Police are managing the situation following stone pelting and a tense situation in the Mahal area,” the chief minister said in a statement.
Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, also said he is in constant contact with the police and asked them to cooperate with the people.
Gadkari echoed Fadnavis and appealed to people to cooperate with the administration.
“Nagpur always has a history of peace. I appeal to all my brothers to maintain peace. Do not believe rumours and do not come on roads,” the Nagpur MP said in a video message.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged the violence was the failure of the state home department, adding that ministers were “deliberately making provocative speeches” over the last few days.
People of all religions coexist in harmony in Nagpur, which is the city of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, he said.
“Tensions in the city, stone pelting, and arson are the utter failures of the home department. In the last few days, state ministers have been deliberately making provocative speeches to incite violence in society. It looks like those efforts have found success in Nagpur,” he said in a statement.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray alleged an “unprecedented breakdown” of the law and order situation in the state.
