Situation under control, curfew continues

Nagpur: The law and order situation in Nagpur, which was rocked by violence on Monday night, is under control but a curfew continues in many sensitive areas of the city, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal said the situation will be reviewed in the afternoon.

Another official said that more than 2,000 armed police personnel have been deployed in the sensitive areas. Similarly, the QRT (quick response team) and RCP (riot control police) are conducting patrolling led by a DCP-rank officer, he said.

Violence erupted in central Nagpur's Chitnis Park in the Mahal area on Monday, with stones hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. As many as 34 police personnel were injured in the violence.

A curfew, restricting the movement of people and vehicles, was subsequently imposed in sensitive areas in the city.

According to a press release of the city police, the curfew is now in force in areas under the jurisdiction of the Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shant Nagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imambada, Yashodhara Nagar and Kapil Nagar police station.

During the curfew, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of the respective areas would take calls about vehicular movements on the streets, the release said.

A senior official said 12 policemen, including 3 DCPs, were injured in the violence on Monday night. About 50 persons have been arrested in connection with the stone pelting and arson so far.

Aurangzeb’s tomb in turns ‘no drone' zone

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Amid calls for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb at Khultabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the administration has declared the grave of the Mughal ruler a “no drone” zone, an official said on Wednesday.

On the social media sphere, police are busy tracking “objectionable” posts over the matter and getting them deleted, another official said. Over 500 such online posts have been deleted so far, he said.

Demonstrations have been held across the state seeking the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb at Khultabad town, about 25 km from the district headquarters, with many politicians echoing the call. Such a protest sparked violence in Nagpur on Monday.

The district administration has made the area a “no drone” zone, an official said, adding that a state reserve police force company and 50 other personnel have been deployed in the town to maintain law and order.

District Collector Dilip Swami, who visited the Archaeological Society of Indian-protected site on Tuesday, told reporters, “No one should believe in rumours and people should contact the administration or the police if they have any information concerning the matter.”

Meanwhile, a team of 10 police personnel and officials is working round the clock in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city to track provocative posts on social media platforms and get those removed.

Cyber Police Inspector Shivcharan Pandhare told PTI, “The hashtag (#) Alamgir and Aurangzeb are trending. We are using these hashtags to check such posts and the offensive comments tied to them.”

The official said they have got 506 posts removed from various social media platforms so far and warned over 80 individuals to desist from posting incendiary content online. “But from now onwards, we will register offences against those behind objectionable posts,” he added.

Kin wonder how family landed in hospital

Relatives of individuals from violence-hit areas in Nagpur are struggling to understand how their family members ended up in hospitals and are now battling for their lives.

Imran Ansari, a resident of Bade Nawaz Nagar, is in shock over the critical condition of his elder brother, Irfan Ansari.

Irfan, a welder by profession, left home around 11 pm on Monday, intending to board a 1 am train to Itarsi from the Nagpur railway station, an area that was heavily affected by violence, triggered by VHP's protest for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb, situated in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

The family received a call from the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), informing them that Irfan had been admitted following an accident.

Imran told PTI on Tuesday that his brother suffered severe head wounds, and a fractured leg, and is currently in the ICU receiving oxygen.

Despite the severity of the situation, the family has yet to file a police complaint as they remain focused on Irfan's treatment and remain unaware of what transpired during his journey to the station.

In a similar case, 17-year-old Raza Younas Khan, a 12th-grade commerce student, is fighting for his life at a private hospital.

Khan, a resident of Guard Line near Mominpura, was sent by his mother around 10:30 pm to buy milk and curd for the morning sehri. She later received a call at around 11:30 pm from IGGMCH, informing her that her son had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Khan was subsequently transferred to a private hospital, where he remains on a ventilator. His family is also unaware of the violent situation in their locality and is at a loss as to how their son sustained such serious injuries.

She said a Lakadganj police station official recorded his statement.

‘Why should we allow Aurangzeb’s glorification?’

Amid a row over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said even the US didn't allow Osama bin Laden to be buried on its land and disposed of his body into the sea to avoid any glorification.

The pointed attack came amid a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition members in the legislative council after Shinde took a dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab.

While addressing the council about the Nagpur violence, Shinde questioned the glorification of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, whose tomb has become a point of contention with right-wing outfits demanding its removal.

"Who is Aurangzeb? Why should we allow his glorification in our state? He is a blot on our history," the deputy chief minister said in his closing remarks.

He said the Mughal emperor had offered Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji a choice to convert to Islam, but the latter refused and was brutally tortured and killed.

Referring to Parab's allegation that Shinde switched allegiance from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to the BJP out of fear of Central agencies, Shinde shot back, "Even the US, after killing Osama bin Laden, ensured that he was not buried on their land. They disposed him of into the sea to prevent any glorification".

Shinde slammed state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal's comparison of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' governance to Aurangzeb's rule.

"Did Fadnavis ever torture anyone the way Aurangzeb did to his enemies?" he questioned and turned towards Parab and asked if the chief minister had tortured him.

Angered by the comment, Parab stood up and demanded the right to respond.

Council chairperson Ram Shinde, however, didn't permit him to speak, and his microphone remained muted.

Despite this, Parab, along with Leader of the Opposition Ambadas Danve, Sachin Parab, and other legislators, stood in protest, seeking permission to counter Shinde's statements, but none of them were allowed to speak.

‘Aurangzeb's tomb will be agenda for BJP-RSS’

Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday alleged that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb will serve as the political agenda for the BJP and the RSS in the 2026 elections, just like the Ayodhya Ram temple issue in the previous polls.

Some legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have been demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb, while opposition parties were alleging that the issue has been raked up to divert people's attention from key issues.

Taking to X, Ambedkar said, "They (BJP-RSS) are making Aurangzeb a part of their forthcoming election agenda. Aurangzeb's tomb is the next Ayodhya!!! BJP-RSS will contest the elections, going to happen in 2026, on Aurangzeb's tomb! Yes, you read everything right. Aurangzeb's tomb going to be the next Ayodjua; elections in 2026!"

Shiv Sena (UBT) joins the tomb bandwagon

Mumbai: Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said the Centre should remove the protected monument tag of Aurangzeb's tomb, located in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, to prevent riots and to cool down the heads of fanatics in the state.

Violence erupted in Nagpur on Monday after stones were hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said that since the release of "Chhaava" movie, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the "neo-Hindutvavadis" of the BJP have been raising the heat over Aurangzeb's tomb and disturbing the atmosphere in the state.

The Vicky Kaushal-starrer movie "Chhaava" is based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire who was brutally killed by Aurangzeb. The film was released on February 14.

"There is no need to create a scene over Aurangzeb's tomb. He (Aurangzeb) is in his grave and he is not going to come out of it," the editorial said.

It further said the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) is currently giving protection to Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly known as Aurangabad) since it is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument.

"The Centre should withdraw the protection and also the tag of a protected monument site given to the tomb so that the land will be freed and there will be no scope of further escalation of tension," it said.

"This will prevent riots and cool down the heads of fanatics," it added.

The editorial came a day after party chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed the BJP for raking up a "400-year-old issue" and said the government should raze the tomb.