Authorities in Nagpur, India, have imposed an indefinite curfew following violent clashes that resulted in injuries to over a dozen police officers. The unrest erupted after a Hindu group, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), demanded the removal of the tomb of 17th-century Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
On Monday, the violence led to significant damage to vehicles and injuries among the public, including at least 15 police personnel, with one officer reported in serious condition. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the violence in a video statement, urging strict measures to maintain law and order. “I have told the police commissioner to take whatever strict steps are necessary,” he said.
According to police reports, members of the VHP burned an effigy of Aurangzeb and his tomb while chanting slogans for its removal from Aurangabad, prompting tensions to escalate. Clashes intensified when members of local Muslim groups marched near a police station and threw stones at law enforcement officers. Eyewitnesses described the attackers as wearing masks and wielding sharp weapons and bottles.
The VHP has denied any involvement in the violence, asserting their desire to replace the tomb with a memorial for local Maratha rulers, as stated by their general secretary, Milind Parande.
Nagpur is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Critics of Modi have accused him of discriminating against Muslims and not acting against those who target them, allegations that he and his government have consistently denied.
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