More than 50 persons have been taken into custody and five FIRs registered in connection with the violence in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, police commissioner Ravinder Singal said on Tuesday.
Violence erupted in central Nagpur on Monday evening, with stones hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb (located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district), officials earlier said.
Talking to reporters, Singal said, "The police have taken more than 50 persons into custody and registered five FIRs at various police stations in connection with the violence."
Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said social media was used to vitiate the atmosphere, and appealed to the opposition not to politicise the matter.
Bawankule, who conducted a review meeting with the police commissioner and district collector, also appealed to members of all the communities to maintain harmony.
"Social media was used to vitiate the atmosphere and there was no failure on part of the home department, as police stood as a shield between the Hindu and Muslim communities (during the violence), wherein several policemen also got injured," he said.
Currently, the situation is a little tense, but there is peace in the city with adequate police force deployed, Bawankule said.
Stones were pelted at police during the violence and 33 to 34 police personnel got injured, he said.
"Five citizens were also injured. Out of them, two are in the ICU and three were discharged in the morning," he said.
Bawankule said the government was monitoring social media accounts to track those spreading rumours.
The government was also finding out who spread rumours on Monday, which led to the violence, the minister said.
"The government's stand is that the Hindu and Muslim communities has always lived together in harmony, and such an incident never happened before (in Nagpur)," he said.
Action would be taken against the anti-social elements behind the violence, the district guardian minister said.
He appealed to members of all the communities to maintain peace in the city and and not support such anti-social elements.
Bawankule said he will also meet the police personnel and other persons injured in the violence.
Earlier in the day, the police said curfew has been imposed in several areas of the city in the wake of the violence.
During the curfew, the area's DCP concerned would decide on vehicular movement as per the need, the police said.
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