Nagpur violence updates: Police disperse an agitating crowd as communal tension prevailed Chitnis park area following the VHP-Bajrang Dal protest, in Nagpur, Monday, March 17, 2025.
Nagpur violence updates: Violence broke out in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Monday night following rumours that a holy book was burned during a protest by a right-wing group demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. A curfew has been enforced in several parts of Nagpur under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) due to rising tensions. The curfew applies to the jurisdiction of police stations in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.…Read More
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.
The unrest later spread to Kotwali and Ganeshpeth, intensifying in the evening. Nearly 1,000 people were involved 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.
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.
Rumours spread that the Quran was burned during the protest, triggering outrage within the Muslim community as videos of the demonstration circulated on social media. A complaint alleging the burning of the holy book was filed at Ganeshpeth police station in the evening.
Latest developments
• Following the violence, Nagpur Police have enforced prohibitory orders and detained over 20 people. Nagpur police commissioner Ravinder Singal said that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita has been imposed, allowing magistrates to issue immediate preventive orders in urgent situations to prevent obstruction, threats to human life, public unrest, or riots. These orders can be directed at individuals, specific areas, or the general public.
• Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and video clips to identify those involved, and an FIR is being registered. Police have urged citizens to remain calm and cooperate.
• Ravinder Singal assured residents that the situation is under control and peaceful. Section 144 has been enforced, and people have been advised not to venture out unnecessarily.
• Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman Pyare Khan described the violence in Nagpur’s Mahal area as “very unfortunate,” urging people to maintain peace. He claimed that the perpetrators were outsiders, not locals, and had come to disrupt the city’s communal harmony.
• Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal criticized the state home department, calling the violence a failure of the administration. He alleged that ministers had been “deliberately making provocative speeches” in the days leading up to the unrest.
Follow all the updates here:
Mar 18, 2025 6:47 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: AIMIM National Spokesperson Waris Pathan says, ‘Certain people in BJP keep spreading hatred’
Nagpur violence updates: AIMIM National Spokesperson Waris Pathan condemned the violence and urged the Maharashtra government to investigate the reasons behind it. He accused certain BJP members of spreading hatred, stating, “We condemn every such violence… Maharashtra govt should probe why such violence happened. There are certain people in BJP, who keep spreading hatred… we kept saying there should be action against such people… BJP is diverting attention by taking up an issue of 400-year-old Aurangzeb.”
The unrest initially began in Nagpur’s Mahal area following a clash between two groups. A mob of nearly 1,000 people engaged in stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, resulting in injuries to several police personnel and damage to multiple vehicles and homes.
Mar 18, 2025 6:32 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: Pawan Khera alleges BJP’s involvement, ‘A game is being played’
Nagpur violence updates: Congress leader Pawan Khera held the BJP-led government responsible for the violence in Nagpur’s Mahal area, accusing it of failing to maintain law and order. He questioned how such unrest could occur in a city with a 300-year history of communal harmony, alleging that some political parties were deliberately inciting tensions for their own benefit.
Khera stated, “A riot broke out in Mahal, the hometown of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister. Nagpur has a 300-year-old history, and no riot has ever happened here before. We should ask why such a situation has arisen.”
Highlighting that the BJP is in power at both the Centre and the state, he asked, “If the VHP and Bajrang Dal organised a protest demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, did the government make no arrangements to maintain law and order?”
Mar 18, 2025 6:18 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: What will the curfew mean for the residents of Nagpur?
Nagpur violence updates: The official order from Maharashtra Police stated that a “communication ban (curfew)” has been imposed in the affected areas under Section 163 to prevent further incidents and maintain peace.
According to the order, “During the lockdown period, no person should go out of the house for any reason other than medical reasons, nor should more than five people gather inside it. Also, orders are passed to prohibit spreading any kind of rumour, prohibiting doing all such acts.”
To uphold law and order, police have been given the authority to close roads in the affected areas. Violating the curfew “remains punishable under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).”
However, the order specifies that it “will not be applicable to police officers/employees on duty as well as government/administrative officers/employees, students appearing for essential services, and persons related to the fire brigade and various departments.”
Mar 18, 2025 6:15 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: What led to the violenct clashes?
Nagpur violence updates: According to the official Maharashtra Police notification, on Monday, March 17, around 200 to 250 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal assembled near the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal, Nagpur, in support of removing Aurangzeb’s grave. The protesters raised slogans demanding its removal and displayed a symbolic green cloth filled with cow dung cakes.
Later, around 7.30 pm, a crowd of 80 to 100 people gathered in Bhaldarpura, escalating tensions and disrupting law and order. The order stated that the gathering caused public distress and obstructed movement on the roads.
Mar 18, 2025 6:12 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: Curfew imposed in these areas amid clashes
Nagpur violence updates: A curfew has been enforced in multiple areas of Nagpur under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) amid tensions over demands to remove Aurangzeb’s grave, according to an official Maharashtra Police notification.
The restrictions will remain in effect until further notice, as per the order issued by Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal.
The curfew applies to the jurisdiction of police stations in kotwali, ganeshpeth, tehsil, lakadganj, pachpaoli, shantinagar, sakkardara, nandanvan, immiga, yashodharanagar, and kaplynagar.
Mar 18, 2025 5:54 am IS
Nagpur violence updates: Police impose Section 144, curfew say situation stable
Nagpur violence updates: Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal said on Monday that the situation is now peaceful and under control. A curfew and Section 144 have been enforced, and authorities have advised people to avoid unnecessary movement.
Clashes erupted in Nagpur’s Mahal area following a dispute between two groups. Police are working to identify and arrest those involved.
The violence saw nearly 1,000 people engaging in large-scale stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, resulting in injuries to several police personnel and damage to multiple vehicles and homes.
