Nagpur violence updates: Heavy police presence in Mahal after clashes over Aurangzeb tomb; 47 detained

Rumors that a holy book was burned during a protest by a right-wing group demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb sparked violence in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Monday night. As tensions escalated, authorities imposed a curfew in several areas of Nagpur under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The curfew covers the jurisdictions of police stations in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.

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Clashes in Chitnis Park Escalate into Widespread Unrest

Around 7:30 pm, clashes broke out in the Chitnis Park area of Mahal as protesters hurled stones at police, injuring six civilians and three officers, according to PTI. The unrest spread to Kotwali and Ganeshpeth, growing more intense in the evening. Nearly 1,000 people engaged in large-scale stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, damaging multiple vehicles and homes.

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Violence Peaks as Unrest Spreads to Multiple Areas

According to the Nagpur Police Commissioner, quoted by news agency ANI, violence peaked between 8 and 8:30 pm, prompting security forces to intervene. As tensions escalated, unidentified individuals vandalized shops, torched vehicles, and pelted stones in Nagpur’s Hansapuri area following an earlier clash in Mahal. Between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm, a mob ignited several vehicles and damaged houses and a clinic near Old Bhandara Road

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Leaders Call for Peace as Tensions Rise Over Rumors

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari urged people to maintain peace and harmony following the violence. According to police, quoted by news agency PTI, the unrest began in the late afternoon when Bajrang Dal members staged a demonstration near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal. As the demonstration videos circulated on social media, they sparked outrage within the Muslim community and spread rumors that protesters had burned the Quran. In the evening, a complainant filed a report at Ganeshpeth police station alleging the burning of the holy book.