Over 50 people detained following Nagpur violence; "Situation peaceful now," says Police Commissioner

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], March 18 (ANI): Nagpur Police on Tuesday said over 50 people in connection with the violence which erupted in Nagpur on March 17 night, and is in the process of identifying any other people involved through CCTV footage and social media posts. The situation in the area is peaceful now, city's Commissioner of Police Ravinder Kumar Singal said on Tuesday.
"The situation is peaceful now, we have imposed a curfew under the area of around 11 police stations. The situation is under control," Nagpur Commissioner of Police told ANI.
"We have taken more than 50 people into custody. Other than that if people are being seen in CCTV's and in social media posts of doing such acts of violence of damaging property and disturbing peace then we are identifying them and catching them," he said.
The Nagpur CP also dismissed any allegations of Police not responding adequately to the violence, pointing out that the officials were present from the start, which led to 33 policemen being injured.
"The allegations might be made, but if one can see the police was there from the start, no one has been hurt physically (from the public), and if we see then because of us being in front around 33 policemen have been injured," Singal added.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Pravin Datke visited the violence hit area of Hansapuri in Nagpur, where he alleged that the violence was "pre-planned" and that the Police was not standing with the citizens. Datke suspected that a large part of the mob came outside (from the other neighbourhoods).
"I have to say that the Police were not standing with the Hindu citizens here. I don't know the reason behind it. A large part of the mob came from the outside...If the Police don't take action, the Hindus will be forced to take the next step. This is all I want to say," the MLA from Nagpur Central said.
Following violence in the city, a curfew was imposed in multiple areas of Nagpur city under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) following tensions over the demand to remove Aurangzeb's grave, read an official Maharashtra police notification.
According to the official order issued by Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal, the restrictions will remain in place until further notice. The curfew applies to police station limits in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodharanagar, and Kapilnagar.
As stated in the order, on March 17, around 200 to 250 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal gathered near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mahal, Nagpur, to support removing Aurangzeb's grave. The protesters raised slogans demanding the grave's removal and displayed a symbolic green cloth filled with cow dung cakes. (ANI)