Nagpur violence: Prohibitory orders lifted from all areas in district

Six days after communal violence erupted in Maharashtra’s Nagpur, the police on Sunday lifted the curfew in all areas of the district, The Hindu reported.

“We have completely lifted the curfew,” the newspaper quoted Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal as saying. “Normalcy has returned to Nagpur and the situation is peaceful.”

Singal said that 13 cases had been registered in connection with the incident and 104 persons were arrested till Saturday.

The violence in Nagpur on March 17 took place hours after Hindutva groups held a protest in the city demanding that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb located in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar be removed.

Subsequently, prohibitory orders barring public gatherings were imposed within the limits of 11 police stations of Nagpur.

On Thursday, the police had lifted the curfew in areas such as Nandanvan and Kapil Nagar, and had relaxed the prohibitory orders in other parts of the city between 2 pm and 4 pm for residents to buy essentials.

The orders were lifted from the remaining areas on Sunday, including Kotwali, Tehsil, Ganeshpeth and Yashodhara Nagar areas, The Hindu reported. Patrolling in sensitive areas would continue, Singal said.

Hindutva groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have in recent weeks stepped up their campaign to demand the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, claiming that the structure is a “symbol of pain...

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