Feeling the heat: A firefighter looking on at burning vehicles set on fire following clashes at the Chitnavis Park Square area in Nagpur. — AFP
Authorities clamped indefinite curfew on parts of the Indian city of Nagpur after more than a dozen police officers were hurt in clashes sparked by a Hindu group’s demand for the removal of the tomb of a 17th-century Mughal ruler, police said.
Monday’s violence in the central Indian city damaged many vehicles and injured several people, among them at least 15 police personnel, one of whom was in serious condition, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, where the city is located, criticised the violence in a video message, calling for every effort to maintain law and order.
Police said in a statement that members of the group, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, burnt an effigy of the Emperor Aurangzeb and his tomb as they chanted slogans demanding its removal from the nearby city of Aurangabad.
The police officer said the situation escalated after several groups marched near a police station and threw stones at police. — Reuters
