Since January 2025, Maharashtra has witnessed 823 incidents of communal unrest, including the violence in the recent Nagpur violence
Mobs started a rampage in several areas of central Nagpur on March 17. File Pic/PTI
Maharashtra witnessed over 800 incidents of communal tensions in just two and a half months, the police said on Monday, according to the PTI.
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An official said that since January 2025, Maharashtra has witnessed 823 incidents of communal unrest, including the violence in Nagpur which was recently fueled by demands for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb and the spread of distorted facts on social media, reported PTI.
District in Maharashtra including Nandurbar, Pune (Rural), Ratnagiri, Sangli, Beed, and Satara districts witnessed communal unrest besides other regions over the right-wing organisations' demand for the demolition of the tomb of the Mughal emperor, situated in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, over the last few days.
A total of 156 criminal cases related to communal unrest were registered across various police stations in the state in January, 99 in February, and 78 until mid-March. Additionally, 102 cases were classified as cognizable crimes due to religious reasons, an official stated, reported PTI.
Last year Maharashtra witnessed 4,836 Hindu-Muslim related communal crimes of which 170 incidents were cognisable and 3,106 non-cognisable cases, an official informed, reported PTI.
Among these cases, 371 incidents were related to religious insults.
Mobs started a rampage in several areas of central Nagpur on March 17 following a protest held by Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad demanding the removal of Aurganzeb's tomb, which they claimed is a symbol of "pain and slavery".
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently noted that the state legislature that Vicky Kaushal-starrer film "Chhaava", based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, reawakened people's emotions against Aurangzeb.
Police have identified rumor-mongering on social media and inflammatory posts as the primary factors instigating unrest.
Maharashtra Cyber had identified 144 links on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube where inflammatory content related to the Nagpur riots was posted.
"37 links were deleted and action taken against 107 links by sending notifications," an official stated.
Communal tensions left people from the peaceful Konkan region shocked.
The official referred to an incident in Rajapur town of Ratnagiri district where members of a Holi procession allegedly danced in front of Jama Masjid gate and damaged it amid chanting of slogans hailing Lord Shriram, Lord Mahadev, Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj.
A video of the incident had gone viral on various social media platforms.
The official stated that various posts on social media falsely claimed that the mosque was attacked, triggering communal tension.
Not only in Ratnagiri but the Konkan region takes pride in maintaining Hindu-Muslim harmony and festival traditions for decades, the official said, the news agency reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
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