Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 22: The Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday asserted that the damages from the communal riots in Nagpur would be recovered from the rioters and denied that any woman police constable was molested by the rioters as reported earlier.
Mr Fadnavis was addressing the media after visiting the riot-hit areas in Nagpur. He dismissed the claims of intelligence failure insisting that there was no political angle involved in the riots. He also confirmed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Nagpur towards the end of the month would continue unaffected by the unrest.
Mr Fadnavis said stones were hurled at the women constables but no police woman was molested as was reported earlier. “Stones were hurled at female police constables, but reports of molestation are not true. We will not tolerate attacks on police personnel and will take strict action,” he said.
The Chief Minister arrived in Nagpur late Friday evening (March 21, 2025) for the first time after Vidarbha’s largest city saw violence on March 17.
He said it was too early to comment on a foreign or Bangladeshi hand in the riots as the probe is under way. Speaking on the investigations, he said no foreign hand or Bangladeshi link has surfaced. “There is no political angle to the violence,” he added.
But agreed that “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. Messages were sent through social media asking people to gather, and 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 well that afternoon, we would have come to know (what was being planned),” he said. “During the violence, the problem was not on main roads but narrow lanes,” he said.
“Police showed the courage to venture into these lanes and face the situation. That’s why the situation did not escalate,” Mr Fadnavis said, defending the police. Police had said earlier that they had identified and reported more than 140 objectionable contents, including posts and videos, across social media platforms, aimed at inciting communal unrest concerning the Nagpur violence.
“The cost of properties damaged during Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to the seizure and selling of their properties,” Mr Fadnavis said. Mr Fadnavis said 104 rioters have been identified after analysing videos and footage from CCTV cameras so far and action has been taken against over 100 people, including 12 minors.
“Whatever damage has happened will be recovered from the rioters. If they do not pay the money, their property will be sold (for the recovery of damages caused). Wherever required, bulldozers will also be used…” Mr Fadnavis said.
He detailed how rumours in the aftermath of a protest against Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s tomb fuelled violent clashes that grabbed national headlines and sparked a big political debate. “The entire sequence of events and the actions taken have been reviewed. The replica of Aurangzeb’s grave was burnt in the morning. An FIR (first information report) was filed on it, but people gathered after a rumour was spread,” Fadnavis said, blaming misleading social media posts claiming the burning of religious text for the flare-up on March 17.
“The crowd pelted stones and committed arson. The police have taken preventive action. Based on CCTV footage, those who were rioting are being arrested. One hundred and four people have been arrested so far. The police will arrest more. Police action will be taken against those who are involved in the riots, or those who are helping the rioters. Those who spread rumours on social media will also be made co-accused. Sixty-eight social media posts have been identified and deleted so far…”, he said.
Clashes at two separate places broke out in Nagpur following rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. Several houses were vandalised, a medical clinic was burnt, and many vehicles were torched.
“I have looked into every detail and presented my views as well. When this incident took place, the replica of the tomb of Aurangzeb was burnt that day. Following the incident, a complaint was registered with the police. However, some people, through podcasts and social media posts, spread rumours that a holy ‘chadar’ was burnt,” he told reporters.
He said those who helped in inciting riots through the use of social media would also be named as co-accused, adding that 68 incendiary posts had come to light and had been deleted. He assured strict action against those who spread rumours through social media posts.
“Later, the rioters pelted stones, torched vehicles and attacked shops in Nagpur. However, the police brought the situation under control within 4-4.5 hours. The police did everything to control the situation. However, several police personnel, including three DCP level officials, were injured in the incident,” Fadnavis said during the press conference.
Fadnavis assured that those whose cars were damaged will receive compensation within 3-4 days while efforts are being made to ease the restrictions in the area as soon as possible. The curfew will be lifted in stages from Saturday.
Fadnavis promised that the perpetrators would regret their actions after attacking police personnel during the unrest. “Such a riot has not happened in Nagpur after 1992, this does not suit the culture of Nagpur,” he said. “Action will continue until the last rioter is arrested.”
