Nagpur in Turmoil: VHP, Bajrang Dal Protests Over Aurangzeb’s Tomb Turn Violent

On Monday, members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) assembled at Chitnis Park Chowk in Nagpur’s Mahal area to demand the demolition of the 17th-century tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, echoing similar protests in other major cities across Maharashtra.However, the protest quickly escalated in Nagpur. 

The demonstrators ignited a ‘chadar’—a holy cloth inscribed with Quranic versesprovoking strong reactions from the local Muslim community. This act of desecration triggered violent clashes across several Nagpur areas, including Ganeshpeth, Bhagalpur, and Hansapuri. The ensuing violence resulted in injuries to 33 police personnel and five civilians, with one civilian requiring intensive care.

The VHP denies any involvement in burning the chadar, but Maharashtra Police have confirmed the incident after reviewing video footage. “Nobody from the [Muslim] community is opposed to the burning of the effigy of Aurangzeb. It is the government’s decision whether the tomb will remain. But, why burn the ‘chadar’, with ‘aayats (verses)’ from the Quran on it?” asked Shakib ur Rehman, an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)-Nagpur leader, speaking to ThePrint.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a Nagpur native, described the clashes during Tuesday's assembly as a "pre-planned conspiracy" and a "targeted attack on select houses. In the evening (Monday), it looked like some people knowingly planned attacks because a truckload of stones were found, along with weapons in large numbers. Vehicles were torched, and like a pre-planned conspiracy, some houses and shops were targeted.”

He further disclosed that an axe attack left three DCP-level police officers injured, one of them severely. “We will take action against people who planned this conspiracy. No one can take law and order into their hands. And I will not let anyone who attacked the police slip away. It is wrong to attack the police,” he added.

Thus far, five FIRs have been registered three at the Ganeshpeth police station and two at the tehsil police station in Nagpur. The police have detained 50 suspects linked to the violence in the Mahal area, where the RSS headquarters is located. According to police, the situation is now under control, although a curfew has been enforced across the boundaries of 11 police stations: Mahal, Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Pachpaoli, Kapil Nagar, Imamwadi, Yashodhara Nagar, Tahsil, Lakadganj, Nandanwan, Shantinagar, and Sakkardara. 

The Fadnavis-led government has called for the maintenance of peace and harmony, while police continue reviewing video and CCTV footage to identify further suspects.