India: Muslims react to rumors, unleash violence, vandalize properties, attack police and civilians in Nagpur

On Saturday, March 17, Nagpur, a prominent city in Maharashtra, suffered absolute chaos and mayhem after enraged Muslim fanatics descended on the streets, assaulting ordinary people, damaging property, and attacking the police. Escalating tensions surrounding Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district were the primary trigger of the violence.

Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to 1707, remains a despised figure in Indian history for persecuting millions of Hindus and destroying temples during his reign. This historical resentment has been rekindled in recent times, with more and more Hindus rejecting the pro-Muslim secular government’s whitewashed syllabi of school textbooks and undertaking their own research in order to learn the real history of the barbarity of the Mughals. The awareness of the Hindus, which has come after decades of ignorance, has left many Muslims seething.

On Saturday morning, some Hindu activists organized a demonstration in Nagpur’s Mahal area, demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. During this protest, they reportedly burned an effigy symbolizing Aurangzeb. However, riot-mongering Muslims used this as an opportunity to spread the rumor that the Hindus had burnt a copy of the Quran, which they then used as a convenient excuse to create chaos in the city.

The unrest began around 7:30 pm in the Chitnis Park area of central Nagpur after the rumors had spread about Hindu activists burning the Islamic religious text, leading to heightened tensions. Murderous Muslims swarmed the streets in large numbers, demanding action against the Hindus involved in the earlier protest. But they didn’t just stop with demanding action; they were contemplating a riot. The situation quickly escalated as clashes broke out between the Muslim groups and the police. They started throwing stones and setting vehicles on fire. Several properties were vandalized. The riot was not contained to that particular area; by late evening, it had spread to other parts of Nagpur, including Kotwali and Ganeshpeth.

The area between Chitnis Park and Shukrawari Talao was the most affected, as the rioters torched multiple four-wheelers. Masked miscreants, armed with sharp weapons and bottles, attacked both civilians and enforcement personnel. Though the police attempted to control the situation with baton charges and tear gas shells, these yielded hardly any results. The violence persisted, resulting in further injuries to innocent victims, as well as property damage.

At least 34 police personnel were injured, with one officer reported to be in serious condition. Five civilians have sustained injuries, and two of them were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

A mob surrounded the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Niketan Kadam, and his team while they were conducting a search operation. A mob of approximately 150 rioters armed with sticks, clubs, and sharp weapons surrounded them. In the ensuing confrontation, a 15-year-old jihadi struck DCP Kadam’s neck with an axe. DCP Kadam blocked the blow with his hand, sustaining critical injuries. He was immediately rushed to New Era Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and is currently recovering. Previously on Jihad Watch, we have published a detailed article on how some Muslims train their children early, and the attack on the Indian Police Service (IPS) is a harrowing example of the fruit of this training.

The riot has left many Hindus recounting harrowing experiences of how Muslim mobs attacked them and vandalized their properties. Describing the onslaught, 50-year-old Sharad Gupta of the Hansapuri area recounted, “At 10.30 pm, I closed my shop. Suddenly, I saw people torching vehicles. When I tried to douse the fire, I was hit with a stone. My two vehicles and a few other vehicles parked nearby were torched.”

The Old Hislop College area residents state that the mobs entered the area at around 7:30 pm. They hurled stones at homes and tore down cars parked in the lanes. One of the eyewitnesses described how four vehicles were destroyed, with one set ablaze. The attackers also broke water coolers installed at the houses and shattered windows before fleeing.

Chandrakant Kawde, involved in organizing the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra, was also among the Hindus who suffered significant losses. The mob burnt down all his decorative articles and attacked his house with rocks.

A local from Hansapuri narrated how the frenzied crowd had taken down a local clinic. “The mob entered the medical facility, broke all the tables, and damaged medicines. The tea stall in front of the clinic was also vandalized,’ he said.

Many locals have expressed frustration over the delayed action on the part of police. Some had felt compelled to leave their home for safety around 1:20 am, hours after the havoc began.

“After 1.5 hours of the entire incident, police came here. The people who did this first targeted CCTV cameras and damaged them,” said another local, highlighting how the Muslims had made sure that they did not get caught on CCTV cameras, either, suggesting that these attacks were carefully designed before being played out.

Bharatiya Janata Party Member of the Legislative Assembly Pravin Datke also agrees that these attacks were premeditated. He pointed out how the mob specifically targeted Hindu residences and shops, and asserted that the rioters deliberately destroyed CCTV cameras in order to erase all evidence.

Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has also condemned the disorder, labeling it as deliberate violence. He emphasized the need for strict action against those responsible, and highlighted the role of social media in spreading rumors that exacerbated the situation.

Authorities imposed curfews in several areas under the jurisdiction of multiple police stations, including Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shanti Nagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imambada, Yashodhara Nagar, and Kapil Nagar. In the aftermath, authorities arrested over 50 individuals suspected of participating in the violence.

The events of March 17 in Nagpur underscore the dire situation of the Hindus in the only country they call their own, and how they are under the permanent threat of Muslims stirring violence by spreading rumors whenever they decide to showcase their power by means of attacks upon Hindus.