Stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday over rumours that a 'chadar' with holy inscriptions was burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) seeking the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb, which is in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district
CM Devendra Fadnavis will be staying overnight in Nagpur and has no public engagements, an official said. Pic/X
Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis arrived in Nagpur late on Friday evening for the first time after Vidarbha's largest city experienced violence earlier this week, news agency PTI reported.
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Stone-pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday following rumours that a 'chadar' with holy inscriptions had been burned during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which was calling for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
The CM will be staying overnight in Nagpur and has no public engagements, an official confirmed. According to PTI, sources indicated that he may meet the media on Saturday and visit the riot-affected areas of the city.
Earlier in the day, the CM stated that social media posts should have been tracked more effectively on the day of the violence in Nagpur, as it would have helped the police understand what was being planned. However, he denied that there was any intelligence failure, asserting that the police response was appropriate and could not be deemed inadequate.
"Some social media posts had content in Bengali, which is also spoken in Bangladesh. It needs to be ascertained whether this is part of a larger design," the CM said at an event.
He added that social media should have been monitored more closely in the afternoon, the day the violence erupted. "It was not done the way it should have been," said the CM, who hails from Nagpur and heads the home department.
Court sends 17 Nagpur violence accused in police custody until Saturday
Messages were sent via social media calling for people to gather, Fadnavis explained, adding that these individuals are being arrested. "We have the capability, but the habit [of tracking social media posts] needs to be inculcated. Had social media been tracked properly that afternoon, we would have known what was being planned," he said.
During the Nagpur violence, the problem was not on the main roads but in narrow lanes, Fadnavis noted. "The police showed the courage to venture into these lanes and face the situation. That’s why the situation did not escalate," he said, defending the police.
Earlier, police had stated that they had identified and reported more than 140 objectionable posts and videos across social media platforms, aimed at inciting communal unrest over the Nagpur violence. Thirty-three police personnel, including three Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officers, were injured during the violence on Monday.
A court in Nagpur has remanded 17 accused in the case into police custody until Saturday, PTI reported. Police have charged Fahim Khan, the key accused in the violence, and five others with sedition and spreading misinformation on social media.
On Tuesday, Fadnavis assured the Maharashtra Assembly that no one involved in the Nagpur violence would be spared. He also stated that the film 'Chhaava', based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, depicted true history, which had led to people's emotions overflowing. "The people are showing their anger towards Aurangzeb," Fadnavis said, referring to renewed calls from various groups to remove the Mughal emperor’s tomb from Khultabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Meanwhile, when asked which Thackeray — Uddhav or Raj — he is closest to, Fadnavis responded, "In the last five years, I had no ties with Uddhav ji and I have been in touch with Raj. There is no fight [with Uddhav]. If we come across each other, we talk, but there are no ties left."
He also confirmed that the ruling Mahayuti, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will contest local body elections, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, together. "There could be one or the other civic body where an alliance might not work out. But the overall resolve is to contest together," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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