Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Tensions flared in Nagpur following overnight violence triggered by demands to remove Aurangzeb’s grave located in Kuldabad, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Shiv Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar voiced his support for the removal of the controversial grave, stating:
“I want to say it very clearly that Aurangzeb’s grave should not be there. It should be removed.”
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Pravin Datke visited the violence-hit area of Hansapuri and claimed the vandalism appeared “pre-planned”. He pointed out that while some shops owned by Hindus were targeted, nearby Muslim-owned stalls remained unaffected.
“This is all a pre-planned matter… Cameras were destroyed, which indicates planning,” Datke told ANI.
Datke further criticized the local police, alleging they failed to protect residents and called on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to investigate the matter.
A local shopkeeper from Hansapuri recounted the chaos:
“At 10.30 pm, I closed my shop. Suddenly, I saw people torching vehicles. When I tried to douse the fire, I was hit with a stone. My two vehicles and a few others nearby were torched.”
In response to the violence, the Maharashtra Police imposed a curfew under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across multiple areas in Nagpur, including Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.
The violence erupted after around 200 to 250 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal gathered near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal, Nagpur. Protesters demanded the grave’s removal and symbolically displayed a green cloth filled with cow dung cakes to emphasize their stance.
Authorities are currently investigating the situation, and security measures have been intensified in the affected regions.