Clashes erupt in Maharashtra over demand to demolish Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb. Communal tensions flared up, leading to violent incidents in various parts of the state. In response, central forces were deployed, and local MP Nitin Gadkari personally intervened to restore peace. The Chief Minister also took direct action to control the situation.
Bajrang Dal activists burned an image of Aurangzeb wrapped in a green cloth. A rumor quickly spread within a community that sacred scriptures were burned along with the cloth, escalating the conflict.
Protesters are demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb from Maharashtra, arguing that a ruler who came as an invader and oppressor should not have his resting place in the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal staged a demonstration near Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Mahal, Nagpur, chanting slogans and setting fire to a symbolic tomb of Aurangzeb wrapped in green fabric filled with hay. This further intensified tensions.
Hindu organizations insist that Maharashtra, the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji, should not be home to the tomb of a tyrannical invader. Following the violence, a curfew was imposed in several areas of Nagpur. Additionally, two platoons of police forces were deployed around the tomb for security. Authorities have taken a total of 50 people into custody in connection with the unrest.
