Several residents of Nagpur recalled incidents of attacks on their homes, vandalism of vehicles and stone-pelting after clashes erupted between two groups on Monday following rumours that a holy book had been burned.
According to the police, Chitnis Park to Shukrawari Talao road belt was the most affected by the violence. Stones were pelted at the homes of the residents while some four-wheelers were set afire by rioters.
Talking to PTI, some residents of Old Hislop College area near Chitnis Park in Mahal claimed a mob entered their locality around 7.30 pm and started throwing stones at their homes and vandalised several cars parked in the lanes.
Sharad Gupta, a resident of the Hansapuri area, informed that his four two-wheelers, parked in front of his home, were burnt. “The mob came between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm and threw stones and torched the vehicles,” Gupta told PTI. He was also injured in the attack.
Another resident, Chandrakant Kawde, who was working for Ramnavami Shobha Yatra, said the mob burnt all his decoration items and threw stones. A resident of the Hansapuri area told PTI that the mob came to their home at around 10:30 pm and burnt their vehicles parked outside the house. A fire also broke out as they torched vehicles and properties. "We doused the fire by putting water from the first floor of our house before the fire bri-gade came," she said.
Speaking to ANI, a local shopkeeper from Hansapuri area said, "At 10.30 pm, I closed my shop. Suddenly, I saw people torching vehicles. When I tried to douse the fire, I was hit with a stone. My two vehicles and a few other vehicles parked nearby were torched." Another local said, "After 1.5 hours of the entire incident, Police came here. The people who did this first targeted CCTV cameras and damaged them."
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari have appealed for peace and harmony in the wake of the violence.
Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Singal informed that more than 50 people have been detained till now. "The situation is under control and peaceful in Nagpur. More than 50 people have been taken into custody. We are identifying those who harmed public property. 33 police personnel were injured in the incident. The Police had done a good job. Action will be taken against all those who are being identified. All relevant sections will be applied against the violators of the law. There are police and forces deployed in Nagpur. Curfew is imposed in parts of Nagpur. To prevent such an incident from occurring again, a meeting will be held with relevant people,” he said.
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