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Nagpur Police have assured residents that the situation is calm and under control. Authorities have imposed a curfew and Section 144 in the area and have urged people to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
Nagpur violence updates
Rumors of a holy book being burned during a protest by a right-wing group demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb triggered violence in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Monday night. Authorities have enforced a curfew in several parts of Nagpur under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to control rising tensions. The curfew applies to the jurisdiction of police stations in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.
Clashes erupted in the Chitnis Park area of Mahal around 7:30 pm, with stones hurled at police, leaving six civilians and three officers injured, according to PTI.
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The unrest later spread to Kotwali and Ganeshpeth, intensifying in the evening. Nearly 1,000 people engaged in large-scale stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, damaging multiple vehicles and homes.
According to the Nagpur Police Commissioner quoted by news agency ANI, the violence peaked between 8-8:30 pm, prompting security forces to intervene.
Violence spread to Nagpur’s Hansapuri area, where unidentified individuals vandalised shops, torched vehicles, and pelted stones following an earlier clash in Mahal that had escalated tensions. A fresh clash erupted near Old Bhandara Road between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm, during which a mob set several vehicles on fire and damaged houses and a clinic.
Leaders Urge Peace as Unrest Erupts Over Quran Burning Rumors
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari have urged people to maintain peace and harmony following the violence. According to police, quoted by news agency PTI, the unrest began in the late afternoon after Bajrang Dal members staged a demonstration near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal.
As videos of the demonstration circulated on social media, rumors spread that protesters had burned the Quran, triggering outrage within the Muslim community. In the evening, someone filed a complaint at Ganeshpeth police station alleging the burning of the holy book.
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