Residents of Nagpur described how the violence broke out last night in response to requests by a right-wing group to demolish the tomb of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, describing how houses were vandalized and cars were set on fire. A BJP politician accused the police of abandoning “Hindu citizens” in the rioting, while witnesses said the police did not come on time.
Earlier in the day, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held a demonstration calling for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb from its location in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra. A picture of the Mughal emperor, covered in a green fabric that “symbolized his grave,” was set on fire during yesterday’s protests. This allegedly caused anxiety in the area by giving rise to rumors that the cloth bore sacred texts.
Around 7:30 p.m., violence erupted in central Nagpur’s Chitnis Park, where multiple people were hurt and stones were thrown at the police. According to some locals who spoke to the news agency, a crowd broke into the Old Hislop College neighborhood next to Chitnis Park and damaged four cars and homes. Before escaping, they also damaged windows and flung stones at houses.
Later, the locals made arrangements for water to save their burning cars. Hours later, residents of the Hansapuri region reported another altercation, claiming that a crowd set fire to their cars and damaged homes and a clinic. Later, a curfew was put in place in some areas of Nagpur to prevent big parties.
Grocery store owner Sharad Gupta, who operates in the violent neighborhood, claimed that he had just closed his business at 10:30 p.m. and sat down to eat when he was startled by loud noises. “I saw cars were being pushed out and set on fire. Three people barged into a house but ran away when the residents screamed. They attacked me with stones when I came with a water hose to douse the fire. I called the police multiple times, but they came after the culprits ran away,” he told news agency.
Another resident, Chandrakant Kawde, claimed that the criminals first destroyed the CCTV cameras and set fire to the decorations he had saved for the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra. “The police came an hour after the incident. By then, the violence had ended,” he said.
Another local, Sunil Peshne, claimed that a 1,000-person crowd set fire to his car during the violence and vandalized perhaps 25–30 additional cars nearby. Madhuri Peshne, his wife, reported that the stone pelting had damaged their home’s windows and doors.
According to another eyewitness who lives in the Hansapuri region, the criminals arrived with rods and sharp weapons and were masked. “They started chaos in the area when they came, and vandalised shops and threw stones. They also torched vehicles,” she told news agency. Vansh Kawle, an eyewitness, too said the mobsters had their faces covered. They first damaged the CCTV cameras and tried to barge into houses, he said.
A local tea shop was also not spared. Its owner said the mob also broke into a clinic in front of his shop and damaged the furniture and medicines inside. Pravin Datke, the BJP MLA from Nagpur Central, claimed that the mob violence was “pre-planned” and a majority of the culprits came from outside. Only Hindu houses and shops were targeted, he claimed, adding, “It is regrettable that yesterday, the police did not stand with the Hindu citizens.” He claimed that despite having his phone turned off, he spent two hours phoning police inspector Sanjay Singh.
Action against the offenders has been promised by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also serves as the Home portfolio head. He told the crowd that it seemed to be a “premeditated conspiracy” and that at least 33 police officers, including three deputy commissioners of police, had been hurt. An axe was even used to attack an official. Eknath Shinde, his deputy, asserted that the conspiracy was intended to target a particular population.
