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Nagpur calm but tense after police arrests riot accused

Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam has condemned the violence in Nagpur and promised “strictest action” on Wednesday, against rioters responsible for attacking police personnel during the violence in Nagpur on Monday.

Nagpur calm but tense after police arrests riot accused

Photo: ANI

Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam has condemned the violence in Nagpur and promised “strictest action” on Wednesday, against rioters responsible for attacking police personnel during the violence in Nagpur on Monday.

Kadam said on Wednesday that the police have so far arrested around 60 people in connection with the Nagpur violence.

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Meanwhile, the Nagpur police and security personnel conducted a flag march in the violence-hit areas of Nagpur to instill confidence among the people on Wednesday.

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So far, six First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered even as a tense calm prevailed across the city of Nagpur on Wednesday.

A curfew has been imposed in the limits of 11 police stations in Zones 3, 4 and 5 of Nagpur city.

The police ordered people in these areas not to leave their homes unless necessary 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.

In a related development, eight workers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal surrendered before the Kotwali police on Wednesday after which the police arrested them and produced them before court.

The police registered FIRs against office-bearers of the VHP and Bajrang Dal for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during their protest demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhajinagar, formerly known as Aurangabad.

Earlier, the Nagpur Police registered a case at the Ganeshpeth police station against office bearers of the VHP and Bajrang Dal for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during their protest demanding removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb.

VHP’s secretary in-charge of Maharashtra and Goa Govind Shende and Bajrang Dal office-bearers Amol Thakre, Dr Mahajan, Tayani, Rajat Puri, Sushil, Vrushabh Arkhel, Shubham and Mukesh Barapatre have been named in the FIR.

The VHP and Bajrang Dal allegedly burned a cloth chadar with “kalma” and “aayats” from a religious book inscribed over it while raising provocative slogans against Aurangzeb, which provoked a Muslim group led by one Fahim Shamim Khan, the city president of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP).

Khan, who has been identified by the Nagpur police as the key instigator of the violence which erupted in Nagpur city on late Monday evening, has been arrested and remanded to custody until March 21.

Talking about how the situation escalated, Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singhal said that permission was given to the VHP to organise a procession on the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj.

“Such processions take place every year on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti. So we followed the routine practice. While seeking the police permission, The VHP didn’t mention that they were planning on doing all this. The police had no idea they were going to burn the chadar and a dummy Aurangzeb tomb,” Nagpur Police Commissioner Singhal said.

Police Commissioner Singhal stated that the police tried to stop VHP members when they were burning the Chadar which had Aayats written over it.

“The police was present at the spot. They intervened and stopped the VHP members. We have videos to prove this. We have filed four cases so far. We will take action against the VHP members who carried out the procession”.

According to a second FIR registered at Ganeshpeth police station, MDP leader Fahim Shamim Khan allegedly incited a mob of around 500 people, leading to large scale clashes, vandalism and attacks on the local police.

Fahim Shamim Khan had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur as a candidate of the MDP and his election affidavit stated that he had completed his education up to tenth standard and was engaged in business.

According to a Nagpur police FIR, Khan played a central role in organising and leading the rioting mob. The unrest began after VHP and Bajrang Dal staged a protest near Gandhi Gate, chanting slogans against Aurangzeb’s tomb and burning a symbolic effigy of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb. In response, a large mob gathered under Khan’s leadership, reportedly armed with axes, stones and sticks.

The mob launched a brutal assault in the Bhaldarpura Chowk area, targeting police officers with stones and weapons. In an attempt to overpower the police, they reportedly prepared and hurled petrol bombs. Some individuals in the crowd allegedly took advantage of the chaos to molest female police officers.

Another Nagpur police FIR mentioned that a female officer from the Rapid Response Team (RCP) was physically harassed, while other women officers faced obscene gestures and inappropriate comments. Vehicles were set ablaze and extensive damage was inflicted on public and private property, the FIR stated.

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