Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a detailed statement in the state legislative assembly on Tuesday on the Nagpur riots that are now under control though at least 11 police stations across the city are still under curfew.

Fadnavis confirmed that rumours spread on social media sparked the violence. “I don’t want to criticise any movie. Today in Maharashtra, the movie ‘Chhawa’ brought out the true history of Sambhaji Maharaj before us. After that, people’s emotions have been ignited on a large scale in the state,” he said.

Advertisement

“Anger against Aurangzeb is also coming out on a large scale. Despite all this, it is very important to maintain law and order in Maharashtra. Everyone should exercise restraint. If the social order here remains orderly, it will help us move in the direction of progress we are on. But I warn you that if anyone tries to riot, action will be taken against them regardless of their caste or religion,” he added.

The chief minister claimed that the incident in Nagpur was well-planned. “After the incident in the morning of Monday, there was complete peace. However, in the evening, it came to light that some people deliberately carried out an attack because almost a trolley full of stones had been found. Some people have been seen piling stones on houses. Weapons have also been seized in large quantities. Vehicles have been set on fire. Some specific houses and establishments have been targeted. Therefore, a well-planned pattern orchestrated by some people is visible,” he said.

Fadnavis said that on Monday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal had protested in the Mahal area of Nagpur, raising slogans like ‘Remove Aurangzeb’s grave’. At this time, they burnt a symbolic grave made of grass mat. The Ganesh Peth police registered a case against the protesters at 3:09 pm. After that, the atmosphere was calm. “However, in the evening, a rumour was spread that the symbolic grave made of grass mat burnt by the protesters in the morning had religious inscriptions on it. After the news spread, a crowd of 200 to 250 people returning from namaz started shouting slogans. They started using violent language after which the police used force,” Fadnavis said.

Earlier, after demanding that a complaint should be filed against Bajrang Dal activists, people from the Muslim community were called to the Ganeshpeth police station. Even as the police were listening to their complaint a group of 200 to 300 men emerged with their faces covered with cloth and sticks in their hands started pelting stones in the Hansapuri area. This attack damaged 12 two-wheelers in Hansapuri. Some people were assaulted with weapons,” Fadnavis said.

“Then at 7:30 pm, a 80 to 100 strong mob attacked the police in the Bhaldarpura area. The police used teargas and mild force to dispurse them and bring the situation under control. They burned a crane and some four-wheelers. A total of 33 policemen were injured in this including three deputy commissioner-level police officers. One police officer was attacked with an axe. A total of five civilians were injured. Three of them have been discharged. Two are in the hospital, and one of them is in the intensive care unit. Curfew has been imposed in a total of 11 police station areas and five State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) squads have been deployed in Nagpur city,” Fadnavis said.

“Some people deliberately attacked in the evening because the police found a trolley full of stones. There was also a large amount of weapons. A DCP-rank police officer was attacked with an axe. There was a well-planned pattern. Action will be taken against these people. No one has the right to take law and order into their own hands. Those who have attacked the police will not be spared no matter what happens. Attacks on the police will not be tolerated. The police were establishing peace. At that time, the attack on them was wrong,” Fadnavis said.

Three DCP-rank police officers were seriously injured in the violence in Nagpur on Monday and have been admitted to hospital. Police officer Niketan Kadam, who was bleeding profusely after being attacked with an axe on his hand last night, is in hospital. DCP Shashikant Satav is also in hospital with a fractured leg. DCP Archit Chandak, who suffered a serious ligament injury, is also in hospital. DCP Rahul Madane was also hit by a stone, but is currently on duty. FIRs have been registered in various police stations in this regard, Fadnavis said.

Meanwhile in Nagpur, curfew has been imposed in 11 police stations in Zones 3, 4 and 5 of Nagpur city. The police have ordered people not to leave their homes in these areas and not to gather in groups of more than five. Life is normal in the rest of Nagpur. Public transport services are running and people are going out for work as usual. However, the atmosphere in Nagpur city still seems to be tense.

After Monday’s violence, the police began combing operations at night and detained those who were spreading objectionable videos on social media and inciting riots. As many as 65 suspected rioters have been brought to Ganeshpeth police station in Nagpur. They are being questioned by senior police officers.

According to preliminary information from the Nagpur Police, many of those involved in the violence in the Mahal area are believed to be from the Kalamna and Itwari areas of North Nagpur. Since Monday night, various police teams have been searching for the accused. The police have found some vehicles and ID cards at the site of the violence.

After the police reached the spot, the youth involved in the riots left their two-wheelers there and fled. Also, Aadhaar cards and identity cards from the pockets of some rioters fell down. These identity cards have been recovered by the police. The violence was more intense in the Bhaldarpura area. The mob also torched vehicles and pelted stones in the surrounding Chitnis Park and Hansapuri areas. They threw petrol bombs at the vehicles. Due to the large crowd, the police were finding difficulty in bringing the situation under control, according to the Nagpur police.

The Nagpur Police arrested 80 people while 55 social media accounts spreading objectionable videos and texts are on the police radar. Curfew has been imposed in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Lakadganj, Pachpavali, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar and Kapilnagar areas, the police stated.

Currently, Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) has been imposed in Nagpur and there is heavy police deployment in the Mahal area, according to the Nagpur Police.