Chhatrapati Sambhaji biopic, MLA's Aurangzeb praise and violent clashes: Why is Nagpur on the boil

The timing of the release of a Bollywood movie about a revered historical figure coincides with the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. A legislator praises the nemesis of the historical figure, leading to him being booked by the police. Hindutvawadi organizations take up the issue, which snowballs into a violent conflict in Nagpur. The opposition alleges that the violence has been sponsored by the incumbent parties to divert attention from serious issues. This is a short description of the sequence of events leading up to the Nagpur riots, which have captured national attention. Chhatrapati Sambhaji and Aurangzeb have long been part of Maharashtra's political discourse, and the Nagpur riots are the latest in the series.

Being in charge of the home department, it is a discomforting scenario for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to see disturbance in law and order in his home city. On Monday evening, two groups belonging to different communities clashed with each other. Incidents of arson, attacks on policemen and pedestrians, and damage to vehicles were reported. The rioters used swords, choppers, axes, and sticks to perpetrate violence. The Nagpur Police contained the violence after several hours, but not before 33 of their personnel, including three DCP-rank officers, were injured.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis briefed the Vidhan Sabha about the communal clash and claimed that it was a consequence of rumour-mongering. According to Fadnavis, on Monday morning, workers of saffron groups like the VHP and Bajrang Dal had organized a protest during which a replica of Aurangzeb's tomb was burnt. By evening, a rumour spread that the sheet covering the tomb had religious texts printed on it. A group of rioters then went on a rampage in the city. Pointing out that a large number of stones were found at the location, Fadnavis expressed suspicion that the riots could have been pre-planned. His deputy, Eknath Shinde, also alleged that there was a design to target people of a particular community.

Controversy over the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb has dominated Maharashtra politics for the last three weeks. The depiction of the cruelty inflicted by Aurangzeb on Chhatrapati Sambhaji ignited emotions among moviegoers, which was capitalized on by certain organizations claiming that the conflict between the Mughal emperor and the Maratha king was based on religion. Meanwhile, Abu Azmi, an MLA of the Samajwadi Party, praised Aurangzeb, leading to outrage by saffron organizations. Two criminal cases were filed against Azmi despite his tendering an apology.

Some Hindutva groups demanded that the tomb of Aurangzeb, located at Khultabad near Sambhajinagar, be demolished. On Monday, to intensify their demand, these organizations held protests in various parts of Maharashtra, and the one in Nagpur led to a communal clash a few hours later. Fadnavis stated that since the tomb is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, his government is duty-bound to secure it. However, Fadnavis emphasized that eulogizing Aurangzeb would not be tolerated.

The opposition MVA has alleged that the entire Aurangzeb controversy has been planned by the incumbent parties to circumvent serious issues like farmer suicides, women's safety, inflation, and so on. Opposition MLAs organized a protest at Vidhan Bhavan, seeking the removal of Nitesh Rane from the cabinet for repeatedly making provocative statements. Referring to the Kar Seva at the time of the Babri Mosque demolition, Rane recently stated that Hindutva organizations should do their job while the government would do its.

The names of Chhatrapati Sambhaji and Aurangzeb have been used by political parties in the past as well. The renaming of Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is an outcome of such political discourse.