By Neyaz Farooquee
A curfew has been imposed in parts of a city in India’s western state of Maharashtra after Hindu groups demanded the removal of the tomb of Aurangzeb, a 17th-Century Mughal emperor, sparking violence on Monday night.
Vehicles were set on fire and stones were thrown in the Mahal area of Nagpur city.
Police say the situation is now under control and are appealing to people to keep the peace.
The tomb of Aurangzeb, who died more than 300 years ago, has in recent years become a political flashpoint amid growing calls for its removal by hardline Hindu groups.
It is located about 500km (311 miles) from Nagpur in the state’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, which was earlier called Aurangabad after the emperor.
Monday’s violence broke out after two Hindu organisations, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, burnt the emperor’s effigy and chanted slogans demanding the removal of his tomb, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state assembly.
This sparked rumours that some religious symbols had been desecrated. Fadnavis said this led to violence that looked like “a well-planned attack”.
He said after evening prayers, a crowd of 250 Muslim men gathered and started shouting slogans. “When people started saying they would set vehicles on fire, police used force,” he added.
More than 50 people have been detained and 33 policemen were injured in the incident, Nagpur police commissioner Ravinder Singal told ANI news agency.
Shops and businesses in the central areas of Nagpur remain closed and security has been tightened across the city.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have criticised the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government saying “law and order in the state has collapsed”.
This story was originally published in bbc.com. Read the full story here.
