‘Never seen anything like this’: Curfew in parts of Nagpur, police round up suspects

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, told the Maharashtra Assembly: “This seems to be a planned incident. No one will be spared.”

Violence erupted after VHP and Bajrang Dal members, who held a demonstration in the city to demand the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, burnt what Nagpur Commissioner of Police Ravinder Singal said was a photograph. This gave rise to rumours of the desecration of a holy book and people took to the streets in several parts of the city, hurling stones and torching vehicles.

Curfew has since been imposed in areas under the jurisdiction of police stations of Kotwali, Ganeshpet, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpavli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.

Shops, schools, work places in and around Mahal remained closed and police barricaded sensitive areas of the old city.

Madhuri Peshne, a resident of Mahal, told The Indian Express that her daughter and son were in the balcony of their house when violence erupted Monday. “Suddenly, stones came flying into our home. The window panes shattered, and glass pieces landed inside. We were saved by seconds,” she said, shaken by what had unfolded.

Protestors set their car ablaze and knocked down parked two-wheelers. “The rioters didn’t even spare the police,” she said. “When officers entered our house to seek shelter, they threw stones at them too. They kept banging on our doors, again and again. It felt like they would break in at any moment… We had never seen anything like this,” she said.

As police began rounding up people – CCTV footage and social media posts are also being examined – several families denied any wrongdoing. “Bekasoor logon ko kyun le gaye? (Why were innocent people taken away?)” asked Bushra Sheikh of Bhaldarpura.

She said the family was about to sit down for dinner when police forcibly entered their home and took away seven men of the family. “My brother was home all day…My mother kept pleading, but the police did not listen,” she said.

Several residents of Bhaldarpura alleged that those who started the clashes were still free while those who had nothing to do with the violence had been detained.

Anjali Bhise, who lives on Hislop College Lane in Mahal, said only women were at home when violence erupted. “The men were at work… After 7.30 pm, over 200 people gathered on the street. They banged the doors of our house and broke windows and the cars parked outside. It is the responsibility of the government to handle the situation. Such communal tension is not good, especially in a locality where Hindus and Muslims have been living peacefully,” Bhise said.

Shaqib Khan, a resident of Geetanjali Chowk, said his car was torched by protestors. “We watched in horror from our homes. There were two groups, pelting stones at each other. If police had dealt with them firmly, the situation would have been very different,” he said.

The clinic of Dr A R Shrivas was damaged by a mob. “They entered our clinic… ransacked it,” Pankaj Shrivas, his son, said.

Members of the RSS-affiliated Adhivakta Parishad were seen guiding residents on how to file FIRs, and seek legal assistance. In most affected parts of the city, there was a common refrain: what had happened was very unfortunate.