The Nagpur communal riots have mounted a challenge for the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra as its efforts to project the state’s image as an attractive investment destination in the country will be thwarted if such incidents go unpunished.
It will be important for the police to find out how and why Nagpur was the victim of such riots as no communal incidents have been reported in the second capital of Maharashtra for almost a century. The RSS observation is significant since the organization was founded in Nagpur and is preparing to celebrate its centenary, which falls in 2025.
In view of the gravity of the situation, the stand taken by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to distance itself from the growing demand to demolish oppressor Aurangzeb’s tomb near Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar at Khulatabad is welcome. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has declared that his government will be proceeding according to law in this matter. It is in consonance with what Sunil Ambekar, the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, has said. In unambiguous terms, Ambekar has declared that the Mughal emperor is no longer relevant at present.
The RSS stand is in stark contrast from the position taken earlier by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, both its wings for religious matters. Both had held demonstrations in Nagpur, demanding the tomb’s removal. Rather than backing the stand of the RSS, detractors of the saffron ideology have alleged that the demonstrators burnt a ‘chadar (holy cloth)’, along with Aurangzeb’s picture, leading to the riots. The VHP has denied of any such burning. Whatever the provocation, the violence that erupted thereafter can’t be justified on any ground. Ambekar has maintained that no violence is in the interests of the society’s well-being.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the charge of the home department, has described the riots a pre-planned conspiracy and as a targeted attack on specific houses while dismissing the allegations of ‘chadar‘ burning. Born and brought up in Nagpur, Fadnavis knows the pulse of the city. Therefore, the opposition charge that the violence was instigated needs to be investigated with due seriousness by him as home minister.
Fadnavis, while speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, has already stated that the investigation is underway into the violence in Nagpur. He also highlighted the fact that there had been no communal incidents in Nagpur the for many years. His statement that misinformation was deliberately spread needs to form a part of the overall investigation. Fadnavis has resolved that those responsible for the attacks will be identified. “We will dig out the attackers even from the grave,” he has thundered.
A serious charge was made by BJP MLA Pravin Datke, who represents Nagpur Central assembly constituency. Datke said in the assembly that women constables were molested during the violence. Several social media posts have recalled how women police pesonnel were subjected to similar atrocities when Raza Academy took out a morch at Azad Maidan in Mumbai some years ago. Datke’s demand has been supported by the opposition, too, in the state.
Udayanraje Bhosle, BJP MP from Satara is the 13th direct decedent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was among the first to articulate the demand against the tomb of Aurangzeb remaining in the state. Calling Aurangzeb a destroyer of Hindu God idols, the nation, and religion, Bhosale asked, “How can such a person be revered? The man who troubled Chhatrapati Shivaji and mercilessly killed Sambhaji Maharaj, why should his tomb be in Maharashtra at all? Despite all this, some are glorifying him. His tomb is being prayed at and he is being worshipped. There is urus being offered there. This is like rubbing salt on our wounds. To stop all this, his tomb must be removed ,” Bhosale said in Satara.
Soon after this, Maharashtra’s politics witnessed a major jolt when Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi praised Aurangzeb as a good administrator and claimed that the ruler had also built many temples. Disregarding history, Azmi said that Aurangzeb’s differences with Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj were on account of religion. Azmi was immediately suspended from attending the Maharashtra assembly’s budget sessio.
Fadnavis will have to prove that the guilty are caught and tried since the focus on law and order is crucial in ensuring the inflow of investments. If a state is defamed for its collapsing law and order situation, the potential investors think twice. Unfortunately, Maharashtra’s reputation on this aspect is smeared since there have been largescale complaints that the industrialists have to satisfy demands of extortionists so that they can conduct their activity. The same question was asked to Fadnavis by senior NCP leader Jayant Patil in an open interview on Wednesday. Fadnavis has emphasized that stringent action is being taken in regard to such complaints.
Against this backdrop, the role of perception in analysing crime statistics of the state is vital. Fadnavis has told the legislature that Maharashtra ranks eighth on the overall crime graph in the country and none of the cities in the state appears in the list of top five cities with incidence of crime. Among the top ten cities, Nagpur ranks seventh. The reason for this inference is that the rural areas are merged into its jurisdiction. If these areas are excluded, Nagpur’s ranking falls between 22nd and 24th places. The state’s capital Mumbai is at 15th place while Pune stands at 18th.
Fadnavis presented the larger picture of the crime data of the state. Whereas the overall crime rate has declined between 2023 and 2024, cases of molestation and rape have shown an upward trend. He asaid that this increase is seen owing to the changes in crime terminology following the Nirbhaya case in 2013 in Delhi. This event resulted in expanding the classification of such offences and introduced stricter legal provisions, he explained.
Fadnavis also highlighted Nagpur’s rapidly expanding academic and research infrastructure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently granted Mumbai the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology. Referring to that, Fadnavis announced that Nagpur will soon house a National Forensic Science Institute campus.
The positive aspects of investing in Maharashtra will receive a fillip if the state government is not able to handle the Nagpur violence aftermath effectively and ruthlessly. It will also create a role model for other states in handling the law and order situation.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
