Amid the arrest of a local Muslim politician, whom the police has accused of instigating the Nagpur communal violence, Muslim residents of the area, according to a report, hint at police complicity in the riots.
The Maktoob Media, citing local Muslim residents, claimed that the police refused to take action and sided with the Hindutva groups such as Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal whose members burned a Dargah chadar inscribed with Quranic verses during a protest demanding the demolition of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb's tomb on Monday.
In response to the police's inaction despite a complaint being lodged by local Muslim residents, a group of Muslim men staged a protest in front of the Shivaji statue in Nagpur’s Mahal area.
"By 7 PM, VHP and Bajrang Dal members marched through Muslim-majority areas of the city, chanting slogans. This provocation led to clashes between the two communities. The police were initially absent and arrived only after tensions had escalated, " the report said citing the local people.
According to an eyewitness cited by the report, police actively participated in the riots alongside members of the Hindu right-wing groups.
The local Muslims also accused the police of arbitrarily detaining innocent civilians.
“At around 2 AM, the police randomly entered the homes of Muslims in areas like Mominpura, Bhaldarpura, and Mahal, taking them away. Many of those detained had no involvement in the protest,” 52-year-old Shafiq Ahmed was quoted as saying by the report.
An FIR filed at the Ganesh Peth Police Station on March 18 names 52 men, all from the Muslim community. As many as six FIRs have been registered so far against several people including the local leader of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) Fahim Shamim Khan.
Calls for the demolition of seventeenth-century ruler Aurangzeb's tomb, following the release of a controversial Bollywood film Chhaava, has rocked the state with the BJP-led state government backing the demand.
"Who is Aurangzeb? Is he a saint? Has he done any good work? One should read the history of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and watch Chhava movies. They tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj for 40 days. Aurangzeb was a traitor. Aurangzeb's grave is a blot on Maharashtra. The protestors are protesting for the pride of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj," Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said following the violence.