Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com lists who said what that stirred the communal pot.
March 4
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi addressing journalists outside the Maharashtra assembly in Mumbai makes the statement, 'Aurangzeb was a good administrator, and India thrived under his rule.'
Azmi is referring to Laxman Utekar's film Chhaava depicting the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in which Aurangzeb is shown as a tyrant and barbarian.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti government moves swiftly to suspend Azmi from the assembly and demands his arrest.
'We will not allow Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji to be insulted,' declares BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar.
March 5
Azmi is suspended from the Maharashtra assembly for the rest of its Budget session.
Even as Azmi approaches court against the decision, Naresh Mhaske, the Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP from Thane, files a case against Azmi for praising Aurangzeb.
March 7
Responding to Azmi's praise of the Mughal monarch, Udayanraje Bhosale, the BJP MP from Satara and a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, asks, 'What is the need for Aurangzeb's tomb? Bring in a JCB machine and raze the tomb.'
'Aurangzeb was a thief and a lootera. Why should he be glorified?' Bhosale asks.
Aurangzeb's grave is located at Khuldabad in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (the city formerly known as Aurangabad) in Maharashtra.
March 10
Responding to Bhosale's statement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, says, 'Everyone believes that Aurangzeb's grave must be removed.'
Addressing an event to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, Fadnavis adds that the grave iis a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India and hence can be removed only after following the law.
March 14
'We are ready to remove the tomb of Aurangzeb. It will be done in such a way that no one will know in advance. Journalists will learn about it only after it is done,' declares Nitesh Rane, the BJP's state minister for fisheries and port development.
'We have already planned and decided and it will surely happen. We are in government now so there is no need to fear,' Rane says, adding, 'We have five years to remove Aurangzeb's tomb.'
'Hindus must not buy meat from the Muslim community who sell halal meat. Hindus must only buy 'jhatka mutton sold by Hindus,' Rane states before launching 'Malhar certified' mutton, a platform aimed at certifying 'jhatka' mutton shops.
March 15
Additional Sessions Judge V G Raghuwanshi grants Azmi anticipatory bail and raps the police for failing to produce the video in which Azmi praised Aurangzeb.
The judge advises Azmi to be cautious and not make irresponsible statements to the media that could create a law and order problem.
March 17, morning
At a Shiv Jayanti programme around 40 to 50 workers of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad reportedly protests in Nagpur against Aurangzeb's tomb in Khuldabad, demanding that it should be removed.
The protest takes place at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Mahal area in Nagpur, where the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters is located.
During the protest, the demonstrators cover an effigy of Aurangzeb with a green chaddar and burn it.
Muslims soon reach the spot and ask the police to take action against the protestors for hurting their religious sentiments; they say the protestors are burning a chaddar with holy Islamic text written on it.
The police reportedly drive the Muslim protestors away.
March 17, evening
The Muslims disperse in the afternoon, but mobs return in the night to attack the homes of Hindus in the Mahal area.
Some 45 vehicles are torched by the mobs, and many policemen are injured in the stone-pelting. One of the five FIRs registered says a group of rioters allegedly touched a woman constable inappropriately and tried to disrobe her during the violence.
March 18
The police arrest 52 rioters and curfew is imposed in some parts of Nagpur. Eight Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists surrender before the police and are arrested.
'The violent incident and riots in Nagpur seem to be pre-planned,' Chief Minister Fadnavis tells the Maharashtra assembly. 'Specific houses and establishments were targeted by the mob. It looks like a conspiracy.'
'The recent biopic of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Chhava) has ignited anger in people for Aurangzeb,' Fadnavis adds.
March 19
RSS leader Sunil Ambekar has the last word on Aurangzeb: 'The question is, if Aurangzeb is relevant today, should the tomb be removed? The answer is that he is not relevant.'
And yet the violence happened.
© 2025