Nagpur violence: Completely premeditated, will not spare culprits, says Dy CM Shinde

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday condemned the Nagpur violent mob attack sharply, calling the attack "completely premeditated." In both the state council and then in the state Assembly, Shinde made some important points about the violence.

He noted the unusual lack of cars in the Mobinpura area, which is usually filled with vehicles, indicating the attack was well-planned. Shinde denounced the actions of the mob, which involved attacking residences, burning them, damaging property on a large scale, hurling stones at police, and even axe attacks on some. Fire fighters were also targeted. He labeled the episode as "very unfortunate" and denounced the burning of temple photo copies, calling it a very serious issue.

Shinde promised that the police would probe the cause of the violence and strict action would be taken against the culprits. He appealed to the public to remain peaceful and cooperate, pointing out that Nagpur is a peace-loving city historically.

Shinde further criticized the supporters of Aurangzeb, saying, "Supporting Aurangzeb means treason," and more scathingly criticized the people who support his legacy, terming it as a "stain on Maharashtra" that has to be removed. This was probably a reaction to political agitation regarding Aurangzeb's grave in the area.

The opposition Shinde also launched a strong verbal attack against Samajwadi Party member of the legislature Abu Azmi, accusing him of trying to influence votes for specific groups through remarks in support of Aurangzeb. Shinde asked action to be initiated against Azmi and called for his suspension following his insensitive statement that Aurangzeb had been an administration-friendly administrator. He also asked for action to be taken against state Congress chief Harshvardhan Sakpal for comparing the Chief Minister with Aurangzeb, as such comments must be monitored in order to save public sentiment.