Nagpur, 17 Mar

(HS):- Communal riots erupted in otherwise peaceful Nagpur on Monday evening,

related to a dispute on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb Grave. Police had to burst

teargas shells to disperse the rioting mob in old Nagpur’s Mahal area. The rioters

forced some shops to down shutters in the busy Zenda Chowk area, which led to

verbal arguments. Some miscreants started pelting stones. Police immediately rushed

to the region and ordered the closure of all the shops to prevent the situation flare

up.

People celebrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s

Jayanti (according to Hindu Almanac) raised slogans against Aurangazeb, which

led to counter-sloganeering by the other group, near Shivaji Maharaj statue in

Mahal. This led to stone pelting on each other and burning tyres on the road.

Some vehicles were also damaged by the rioters.

The police used

water cannons to disperse the mob. But they started pelting stones towards the

police, which compelled the police to burst tear gas shells.

Meanwhile, Chief

Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari have appealed to

the people to maintain peace and cooperate with the police.

The rattled common

people started running for safe shelter during the riots.

A large number

of police personnel have been deployed to restore peace in the region.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar