Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis assures peace, action against rumour-mongers amid Nagpur violence probe

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, stated that an investigation is underway into the recent violence in Nagpur. He assured that peace prevails in the city and emphasized that there had been no riots in the area for several years.
He alleged that misinformation was deliberately spread and reiterated the government's commitment to maintaining law and order.
"The investigation is underway in the Nagpur violence case...There is peace in the city at present. There have been no riots here in the past several years...Some people did all this deliberately... The rumour was deliberately spread...There are many challenges on the issue of law and order, and we will be able to meet them," he told in the state assembly.
CM further added, "The Commissioner of Police (CP) has stated that the investigation is ongoing and no conclusion has been reached yet. Therefore, there is no difference between my statement and that of the CP."
He assured that those responsible for the attacks would be identified. "We will dig out the person who attacked even from the grave," he added. He further stated that Nagpur remains peaceful and has not witnessed riots since 1992.
Fadnavis also refuted claims that religious verses were burned during the violence, stating, "This rumour was deliberately spread. No verses were written and burnt."
Shifting focus to law and order, Fadnavis emphasized the role of perception in assessing crime statistics. He noted that Maharashtra ranks eighth in the country, with no city from the state appearing in the top five for crime rates.
Among the top ten cities, Nagpur ranks seventh, primarily due to rural areas being merged into its jurisdiction. Without these areas, its ranking would fall between 22nd and 24th place. Meanwhile, Mumbai is positioned at 15th, while Pune stands at 18th.
Presenting crime data, he pointed out that while overall crime rates have declined between 2023 and 2024, cases of molestation and rape have risen. He attributed this increase to changes in crime definitions following the Nirbhaya case in 2013, which expanded the classification of such offences and introduced stricter legal provisions. "This increase is worrying, but in another way, it is satisfactory as these cases were earlier not reported due to social taboos," he said in the assembly.
Highlighting Nagpur's growing academic and research infrastructure, Fadnavis stated that after Mumbai received the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, Nagpur will now house a National Forensic Science campus. (ANI)