AUTHORITIES clamped indefinite curfew on parts of the Indian city of Nagpur after more than a dozen police officers were hurt in clashes sparked by a Hindu group’s demand for the removal of the tomb of a 17th-century Mughal ruler, police said on Tuesday (18).
Monday’s (17) violence in the central Indian city left several people injured, among them at least 15 police personnel, one of whom was in serious condition, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many vehicles were also damaged.
Police said in a statement that members of the group, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), burnt an effigy of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb and a replica of his tomb as they chanted slogans demanding its removal from the nearby city of Aurangabad.
The police officer said the situation escalated after several members of Muslim groups marched near a police station and threw stones at police.
The attackers, wearing masks to hide their faces, carried sharp weapons and bottles, a resident of the area said.
The VHP denied accusations of engaging in any violence. It wants the tomb to be replaced with a memorial for rulers from the local Maratha community, its general secretary, Milind Parande, said in a video message.
Authorities in the city banned gatherings of more than four people to restore order and NDTV said at least 50 people had been arrested so far.
Maharashtra chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, criticised the violence in a video message, calling for every effort to maintain law and order.
“I have told the police commissioner to take whatever strict steps are necessary,” Fadnavis added. He urged the public not to “believe any rumours” about the unrest and expressed some sympathy with the campaign to destroy the tomb, saying it was unfortunate his government had to protect Aurangzeb’s grave “despite his history of persecution”.
Security has also been tightened around the tomb, some 450 km (280 miles) west of Nagpur.
The city is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The VHP belongs to the same family of organisations.
Aurangzeb is a loathed figure among Hindu nationalists, who accuse him of persecuting their faith during his nearly five-decade rule in the 17th century.
Modi has also made several references to Aurangzeb in the past, accusing him of trampling on the Hindu faith and persecuting its followers.
Pope Francis greets Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June last year, as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and then British prime minister Rishi Sunak look on