Tensions flared in Nagpur after violent clashes erupted between Muslim mobs and Hindu groups, who were demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhaji Nagar. Reports suggest that the unrest was triggered by unverified rumours of the Quran being burned during a protest against the tomb. The violence resulted in injuries to 15 police officers and 5 civilians, with mobs throwing stones, damaging public property, and setting vehicles on fire. To restore order, authorities imposed Section 144 in the affected area.
The violence first broke out in the Chitnis Park and Mahal areas before spreading to Kotwali and other parts of Mahal. In an effort to control the situation, police resorted to using tear gas and baton charges to disperse the unruly mobs.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Pravin Datke reached the violence-hit area of Hansapuri and asserted that this incident was “pre-planned”. He said that the vandalisation of shops and stalls and the destruction of cameras were indicative of the same.
“This is all a pre-planned matter. If there were two shops each of Muslims and Hindus, only the latter was affected. There’s a (roadside) stall that belongs to a Muslim. Nothing happened to it. However, another stall that belonged to an elderly lady was damaged. The cameras were destroyed. It indicates that this thing was planned,” Datke told ANI.
#WATCH | Maharashtra | Nagpur violence | BJP MLA (Nagpur Central) Pravin Datke says, "I have reached here this early morning. This entire thing was preplanned. After an agitation yesterday morning, an incident took place at Ganesh Peth police station, then everything was… pic.twitter.com/pnhEGomViZ
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025
Questioning the delay, the BJP MLA slammed the police administration for not standing with the citizens. Datke suspected that a large part of the mob came outside (from the other neighbourhoods).
“I have to say that the Police were not standing with the Hindu citizens here. I don’t know the reason behind it. A large part of the mob came from the outside…If the Police don’t take action, the Hindus will be forced to take the next step. This is all I want to say,” the MLA from Nagpur Central said.
Datke urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to investigate the matter. “The Police came half an hour after I had a conversation with the CP (Commissioner of Police). By then, everything was over. On my side, this tai (sister) was crying over the phone. She told me later that the Police had arrived. This is a well-planned incident, and I will talk to the Chief Minister about it. The images of the perpetrators are in the DVRs. We will provide it to the Police,” he added.
A local shopkeeper from Nagpur’s violence-hit Hansapuri area said, “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 other vehicles parked nearby were torched.”
Another local says, “After 1.5 hours of the entire incident, Police came here. The people who did this first targeted CCTV cameras and damaged them.”
Earlier, Maharashtra BJP chief and minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule urged residents to maintain peace and avoid rumours after violent clashes erupted in Nagpur’s Mahal area, where a mob engaged in large-scale stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, injuring several police personnel and damaging multiple vehicles and homes.
An eyewitness from Hansapuri described the chaos caused by a masked group. “A team came here. Their faces were hidden with scarves. They had sharp weapons, stickers, and bottles in their hands. They started the ruckus, vandalised shops, and pelted stones. They also torched vehicles,” the eyewitness said.
A curfew has been imposed in multiple areas of Nagpur city under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) following tensions over the demand to remove Aurangzeb’s grave, read an official Maharashtra police notification.
According to the official order issued by Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal, the restrictions will remain in place until further notice.
The curfew applies to police station limits in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.
“During the lockdown period, no person should go out of the house for any reason other than medical reasons, nor should more than five people gather inside it. Also, orders are passed to prohibit spreading any kind of rumour, prohibiting doing all such acts,” the order read.
The police have been authorised to close roads in affected areas to maintain law and order. Anyone violating the curfew “remains punishable under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).”
However, the order clarifies that it “will not be applicable to police officers/employees on duty as well as government/administrative officers/employees, students appearing for essential services, and persons related to the fire brigade and various departments.”
