Nagpur Violence: ‘We doused fire’, residents describe chaos, say police and fire brigade arrived ‘after miscreants fled’

Nagpur Violence: Nagpur, Maharashtra, witnessed widespread violence on Monday evening, with clashes erupting in the Mahal area and spreading to Hansapuri. The unrest was triggered by protests demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb, which escalated into large-scale vandalism and arson.

What Led to Nagpur Violence?

The violence began as a protest by right-wing groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, calling for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. Rumors spread that a holy book was desecrated during the protest, leading to outrage within the Muslim community.

Vehicles were torched, shops vandalized, and stones hurled at police and residential properties, causing panic among residents.

Nagpur Violence: Eyewitness Accounts

Residents of the Old Hislop College area near Chitnis Park in Mahal reported that a mob entered their locality around 7:30 pm, throwing stones at homes and vandalising several cars.

Four cars were damaged, with one badly burnt. Locals managed to douse the flames using water from their homes before the fire brigade arrived.

Some people watched the situation unfold from their balconies as a large police force led by senior officers entered the area to control the violence.

In the Hansapuri area, Sharad Gupta, a 50-year-old resident, recounted that his four two-wheelers were set ablaze by the mob between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm.

Gupta told PTI, he was injured in the attack and noted that a neighbor’s shop was also vandalised. Gupta stated that police arrived almost an hour after the incident.

Chandrakant Kawde, another resident, said the mob burnt all his decoration materials for the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra and pelted stones at houses. They first broke the CCTV cameras and then targeted homes. “The police came an hour after the incident. By then, the violence had ended,” he said.

A woman from the Hansapuri area described how a mob burned vehicles parked outside their home, causing a fire that they managed to control by pouring water from the first floor before the fire brigade arrived.

“They started chaos in the area when they came, and vandalised shops and threw stones. They also torched vehicles,” she told news agency ANI. “We doused the fire by putting water from the first floor of our house before the fire brigade came,” she said.

Vansh Kawle, an eyewitness, reported that the attackers had their faces covered. They broke CCTV cameras and attempted to enter homes.

A local tea stall owner near a clinic said that the mob entered the medical facility, broke tables, and damaged medicines. His tea stall was also vandalized.

Sunil Peshne, another resident, said his car was burnt down during the violence by a 1,000-strong mob and that they vandalised about 25-30 vehicles in the area. His wife, Madhuri Peshne, said the doors and windows of their house were damaged in the stone pelting.

Nagpur Violence: Police Arrival and Action

Residents expressed frustration over the delayed response of the Maharashtra police. Sharad Gupta mentioned that he called the police multiple times but they arrived after the culprits had fled. Chandrakant Kawde also noted that the police came an hour after the incident, by which time the violence had ended.

Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Ravinder Singal assured residents that the situation is now under control and peaceful. A curfew has been enforced, and Section 144 has been imposed to maintain law and order.