Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 19: A First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Nagpur police claimed that a group of rioters allegedly touched a woman constable inappropriately and tried to disrobe her during the violence that broke out in Mahal locality in the city on Monday night following protests demanding removal of the tomb of the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, officials said on Wednesday.
The FIR said rioters had also made obscene gestures and misbehaved with some other women, including police personnel, during the incident which reportedly began around 4 pm on March 17 and continued until approximately 11.30 pm. The FIR, number 0115, was registered on March 18 by Jitendra Baburao Gadge, Sub-Inspector, Ganeshpeth Police Station, who was on duty from 10 am to 9 pm Monday.
“Total five FIRs have been registered in Nagpur in connection with the violence. One of the FIRs filed at the Ganeshpeth police station says that a group of people gathered at the Bhaldarpura chowk in the city and started attacking the police personnel. The crowd also hurled petrol bombs and stones at the police staff,” an official said.
“Taking advantage of the darkness, the group tried to touch a woman constable of the Riot Control Police [RCP] and her uniform, and tried to disrobe her. They used abusive language and passed vulgar remarks against other women police personnel. The rioters also made objectionable gestures towards them and attacked them,” he said.
Amidst the calls for the removal of the tomb at Khultabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra, the administration has declared the grave of the Mughal ruler a “no drone” zone, an official said on Wednesday. The police are also busy police are busy tracking “objectionable” posts on the issue on the social media and getting them deleted, official said.
A team of ten police personnel and officials is working round the clock in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city to track provocative posts on social media platforms and get those removed, he said. Cyber Police Inspector Shivcharan Pandhare said, “The hashtag (#) Alamgir and Aurangzeb are trending. We are using these hashtags to check such posts and the offensive comments tied to them.”
The official said they have got 506 posts removed from various social media platforms so far and warned over 80 individuals to desist from posting incendiary content online. “But from now onwards, we will register offences against those behind objectionable posts,” he added.
The riotous mob in Nagpur had also hurled petrol bombs at the police during the violence, the police said, adding that the police have so far arrested 51 rioters and slapped a total of 57 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against them, they said. Besides the 51 arrested, the FIR also listed some 500-600 unnamed individuals as accused. The accused face multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932, the Public Property Damage Prevention Act, 1984, the Maharashtra Police Act 1951, and other relevant laws.
According to the FIR, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal held demonstrations near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Gandhi Gate, shouting slogans to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb and burning an effigy of the Mughal emperor.
After the incident, a group of 50-60 people, led by Fahim Khan Shamim Khan, city president of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP), gathered at the police station to submit a written statement. According to the FIR, the group that came to the police station allegedly gathered more people, and conspired to create religious conflict between two communities. The FIR also states that about 500 to 600 people from one community gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue Chowk.
It said despite attempts by Inspector Machhindra Pandit and other officers to disperse the crowd, the situation worsened as the mob stayed and armed itself with deadly weapons, including axes, stones, and sticks. Their actions were aimed at instilling fear and disrupting social harmony, allegedly to escalate religious tensions, said the FIR.
FIR copy also mentioned, police officers on duty, including Niketan Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shashikant Satav, Deputy Commissioner of Police, and Anita More, Assistant Commissioner of Police, were attacked and sustained injuries. The mob also vandalised and set police vehicles, traffic control booths, private vehicles, and nearby houses, on fire. Two cranes at a flyover construction site were also set ablaze.
On Wednesday, the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court (JMFC) remanded 19 accused in the Nagpur violence case in police custody until March 21. The Nagpur police presented the accused before the court, seeking their remand for further investigation.
The district administration has made the area a “no drone” zone, an official said, adding that a State reserve police force company and 50 other personnel have been deployed in the town to maintain law and order. District Collector Dilip Swami, who visited the Archaeological Society of Indian-protected site on Tuesday, told reporters, “No one should believe in rumours and people should contact the administration or the police if they have any information concerning the matter.”
Meanwhile, curfew remained in force in many sensitive areas of the city in the wake of the violence.
