‘We are ascertaining if there was a mastermind behind Nagpur violence’: police officer

Nagpur Police Commissioner investigates violence, suspects mastermind behind communal tension, imposes curfew in 11 police station areas.

A day after Nagpur witnessed violence in which 34 police personnel and three locals were injured, Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal said that his team was ascertaining if there was a mastermind behind the communal tension. The statement assumes significance in the backdrop of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s statement that the violence was “planned and premeditated”.

“We are looking into all aspects of the case. We are also looking at if there is a thread we can find about whether there was a mastermind behind it,” he told The Hindu. When asked if there was any information about a video clip that allegedly went viral, he said: “So far, we have not come to know anything about any false clips. If found, we will take strict action.”

Nagpur remains tense after the violence on Monday (March 17, 2025) night. As many as 34 police officials, including three top-ranking officers, were injured, while 12 two-wheelers, two JCBs, one truck, and a few cars were damaged. Nagpur police lobbed teargas and resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the mob at Chitnis Park and Mahal, where the protest over Aurangzeb’s tomb took place. Police have detained over 50 persons and a strict curfew is in place in the jurisdiction of 11 of the 33 police stations in the city.

Mr. Singal said the disturbance was caused in an area covering 800 metres in the city. “A 500-metre stretch at Chitnis Park lane and a 300-metre patch between Gitanjali Chowk and Hansapuri were the only areas which saw a few incidents,” he said, adding that the police had decided to impose curfew in the jurisdiction of 11 of the 33 police stations as a precautionary measure.

“We are carrying out route march in all the affected areas and in the surrounding areas as well. The situation is under control. There was tension in 11 of the 33 police station areas of Nagpur city. We have imposed a curfew in them. These areas include Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar,” he said.

When asked about the nature of deployment, he said over 8,500 police personnel including the State Police Reserve Force (SPRF) and Quick Response Teams (QRT) were deployed across the tense areas of the city. “Everyone’s on the job. We are on the streets to safeguard the city’s residents and property.”

Mr. Singal said that some civilians sustained minor injuries in the violence on Monday (March 17, 2025). But he said that three senior police officials were seriously injured. “There were 34 police personnel who were injured. Three of them are still in the hospitals. Of them, two are Deputy Commissioners of Police. They were ahead, leading the teams. We have taken into custody 50 plus people. They were produced in court today.”