A History of Communal Violence in Nagpur and What Nagpur Can Learn from It

thenewsdirt
Mar 18
9 min read

Updated: Mar 26

A street scene in Nagpur with colonial buildings, people walking, and smoke rising from an explosion. Signs read "Nagpur." Monochrome sketch. — A History of Communal Violence in Nagpur

Nagpur's history is unfortunately marked by some communal tensions that have, over the decades, disrupted the fabric of the city.

These incidents are not just isolated events but moments that reflect the challenges faced by a diverse and dynamic population.

Understanding this history sheds light on the underlying causes that have led to moments of turmoil and how such events have left their mark on Nagpur’s journey.

The Foundation of Discord

The early twentieth century in Nagpur was a time of significant political activity, but it also saw the emergence of religious discord.

In 1923, the city witnessed a major communal disturbance. What began as a dispute over the route of a religious procession soon turned into a widespread conflict.

Hindus sought to pass through areas housing Muslim communities, which was met with objections. Tensions rose quickly, culminating in violent confrontations. Reports from that period mention fatalities, injuries, and damage to property. The unrest left many residents fearful, altering the everyday dynamics of the city.

The impact of these riots extended beyond immediate violence. They stirred political activity in Nagpur, pushed Dr. K.B. Hedgewar to establish the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1925.

Hedgewar, deeply influenced by the communal tensions, sought to organise Hindus under a cultural platform. This move significantly changed the political atmosphere of Nagpur and would have long-term implications for the region.

Another significant episode occurred in 1927. During the Mahalakshmi Puja celebrations, a procession passing through a Muslim-dominated area faced resistance.

It started as a verbal confrontation and soon spiralled into three days of intense violence.

Official records reveal that at least twenty-two people lost their lives, while many others sustained injuries. The chaos spread across several localities, with shops looted, homes vandalised, and places of worship damaged.

Daily life in Nagpur ground to a halt as fear gripped the population. Schools shut down, marketplaces emptied, and many sought shelter in their homes to avoid the streets that had turned into battlegrounds.

These early incidents revealed how quickly communal relations could deteriorate. Disagreements, if not addressed promptly, often escalated into full-blown conflicts that affected thousands.

Caste and Religious Fault Lines in Later Decades

Riot scene with armored police, crowd on damaged street with debris. Police vehicles labeled "POLICE" present. Monochrome sketch. — Caste and Religious Fault Lines

While early violence was largely rooted in religious disputes, subsequent years saw caste-related tensions come to the fore.

The Namantar Andolan of the late 1970s stands out as a particularly significant movement.

Spearheaded by Dalit communities, the campaign aimed to rename Marathwada University in honour of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. To many, this was more than a symbolic gesture, it was a fight for recognition and dignity. Yet, strong opposition from upper-caste groups soon turned peaceful protests into violent confrontations.

In Nagpur, demonstrations became a common sight. Streets once used for everyday commutes transformed into sites of confrontation.

Dalit homes were set ablaze, people were assaulted, and entire neighbourhoods bore the brunt of the anger.

The violence was not confined to protests alone, it seeped into workplaces, schools, and even places of worship, creating an atmosphere where suspicion and hostility flourished.

The struggle persisted for over a decade, highlighting the deep-rooted caste prejudices that remained entrenched in society. For many in Nagpur, those years were marked by uncertainty and disruption, as normal life was frequently interrupted by strikes, shutdowns, and clashes.

The turbulence did not end with caste-based movements. In 1994, Nagpur faced yet another tragedy, the Gowari stampede. Thousands from the Gowari community, demanding Scheduled Tribe status, gathered to press their demands.

The protest, initially peaceful, took a devastating turn when law enforcement resorted to forceful crowd dispersal.

Panic ensued, and in the resulting chaos, over a hundred lives were lost, most of them women and children.

Hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of the injured, and the city mourned as stories of loss and heartbreak emerged from every corner.

This incident exposed lapses in crowd control and crisis management. Residents of Nagpur were left shaken, with many questioning the preparedness of authorities to handle large-scale demonstrations.

The images of grieving families and candlelight vigils became lasting reminders of how peaceful protests can tragically turn deadly under mismanagement and neglect.

Unfolding Tensions in the Twenty-First Century

The twenty-first century has seen Nagpur witness fresh instances of communal violence, with tensions often igniting during significant national events or local disputes. Despite advances in technology and communication, the underlying causes of these confrontations have continued to stem from age-old divisions.

One of the most recent and notable incidents took place in January 2024 in the Yashodhara Nagar area.

The event coincided with the celebrations surrounding the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a moment of religious significance for many Hindus across the country.

In Nagpur, however, festivities turned tense when a confrontation between two groups escalated. Eyewitness reports and police accounts confirm that what began as a disagreement over flags and processions soon led to stone-pelting from both sides.

The violence injured several individuals and damaged vehicles and nearby shops.

Local authorities responded by deploying police forces to the area, imposing a temporary curfew to prevent further escalation. Streets that would typically buzz with activity fell silent under strict surveillance. Several arrests followed the violence, with reports indicating that twelve Muslim men were taken into custody.

Family members of those detained alleged that the arrests were abrupt and lacked transparency, adding another layer of tension to an already volatile situation.

The violence was not isolated to Yashodhara Nagar alone. In other parts of Nagpur, smaller scuffles related to the same event were reported, though they did not escalate to similar levels of intensity.

Emergency medical services responded promptly, attending to those injured in the clashes. Hospitals in the vicinity received multiple patients with head injuries and fractures caused by thrown objects and melee encounters.

The police later conducted flag marches in sensitive areas to reassure residents and discourage further unrest.

Educational institutions in affected zones announced temporary closures, citing safety concerns for students. Businesses, particularly those near the epicentre of the clashes, kept their shutters down for several days, fearing further violence.

Media outlets covering the incident provided varying perspectives, with some highlighting the quick response of law enforcement, while others raised questions about crowd management and the measures taken to prevent the outbreak. Social media platforms saw widespread circulation of videos and images from the scene, adding to public discourse surrounding the event.

In the days that followed, local leaders from both communities urged calm and emphasised the importance of peace.

However, Yashodhara Nagar bore visible signs of the conflict. Burn marks on the road, shattered glass, and damaged shop fronts stood as reminders of how quickly a celebration could descend into chaos.

An unexpected unrest unfolded in the Mahal area of Nagpur on 17 March 2025, challenging the harmony that residents had long cherished.

The riots were triggered by a protest organized by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, two Hindu nationalist organizations, and escalated into widespread violence involving stone-pelting, arson, and attacks, resulting in injuries, one death, and significant property damage.

The immediate cause of the unrest was a demonstration held near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Mahal area of Nagpur.

On March 17, 2025, members of VHP and Bajrang Dal gathered to demand the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), approximately 500 kilometers from Nagpur.

During the protest, participants burned an effigy of Aurangzeb, a figure often criticized in Hindu nationalist narratives for his historical policies against Hindus. This act was part of a broader campaign that had gained momentum in recent years, amplified by political rhetoric and cultural events.

A critical incident during the protest involved a 'chadar', a ceremonial cloth often inscribed with Quranic verses, allegedly being burned. Reports about this event remain disputed. The VHP and Nagpur City Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal labeled the claim a rumor, asserting that no such desecration occurred. However, members of the local Muslim community insisted that the 'chadar' was indeed burned during the effigy-burning, viewing it as a deliberate provocation against their religious sentiments.

This disagreement became a flashpoint as rumors of the alleged desecration spread rapidly through Nagpur’s neighborhoods, particularly in areas with mixed Hindu and Muslim populations.

By around 7:30 pm on March 17, tensions erupted into violence. The initial clashes began in Chitnis Park, a public space in the Mahal area, where groups from opposing communities confronted each other. The situation quickly escalated as stone-pelting started, with individuals hurling rocks at one another and at police personnel attempting to intervene.

The violence spread to nearby localities, including Hansapuri and Kapil Nagar, both known for their dense residential and commercial zones. Eyewitness accounts describe chaotic scenes: mobs numbering nearly 1,000 people roamed the streets, throwing firebombs and engaging in physical altercations.

Property damage was extensive during the riots. Over 60 vehicles were vandalized or destroyed, including 36 cars, 22 two-wheelers, and one crane, according to police records. Cars were set ablaze, and two-wheelers were smashed with stones or metal rods. Businesses and homes also suffered, with a clinic in Hansapuri among the structures damaged by fire or looting. The scale of destruction indicated the intensity of the unrest, as rioters targeted symbols of economic stability across community lines.

The human toll was significant. Over 30 individuals sustained injuries during the clashes, including 33 police officers who were deployed to control the situation. Among the injured was Deputy Commissioner of Police Niketan Kadam, who was struck by an axe during an attempt to disperse the crowd, underscoring the level of aggression directed at law enforcement.

Most injuries resulted from stone-pelting, though some involved blunt weapons or burns from firebombs. Later reports confirmed that one man succumbed to injuries sustained during the riots, though specific details about his identity or the exact circumstances of his death were not widely publicized at the time.

The Lingering Impact and Reflections

Illustration of a damaged building, people walking amidst debris, birds flying overhead. Urban skyline in background, conveying a somber mood. — The Lingering Impact and Reflections

The episodes of communal violence in Nagpur, from the early twentieth century to recent years, have left clear lessons about the importance of prompt action, effective communication, and preparedness. Each incident offers specific takeaways that can help prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The 1923 and 1927 riots showed how disputes over religious processions can quickly escalate if not addressed in time.

Delays in resolving minor disagreements allowed tensions to build, turning neighbourhood disputes into widespread violence.

Better coordination between community leaders and authorities could have prevented the confrontations that disrupted daily life, damaged property, and cost lives. Quick intervention when disagreements first surfaced might have controlled the situation before it worsened.

During the Namantar Andolan, prolonged protests led to violence because discussions with key stakeholders were delayed.

Demonstrations turned volatile when protestors felt unheard, and opposing groups reacted aggressively.

These events highlight the need for timely dialogue between conflicting parties.

Engaging community representatives early could have helped calm emotions and avoid confrontations that harmed both people and property.

The 1994 Gowari stampede revealed gaps in crowd management during large gatherings. Thousands assembled to voice their demands, but inadequate planning and communication turned a peaceful protest into a tragedy.

The lack of proper crowd control measures, limited emergency exits, and sudden police action contributed to the chaos. This incident underscores the importance of careful planning for public demonstrations.

Ensuring clear routes, medical support, and non-confrontational dispersal methods could have saved many lives.

In 2024, the clashes in Yashodhara Nagar exposed how quickly local tensions can flare up during significant national events. Celebrations that should have been peaceful turned violent due to poor crowd monitoring and the absence of preemptive measures.

Authorities responded only after violence had broken out, by which time people were already injured and property was damaged.

This points to the importance of anticipating possible conflicts during high-tension events and preparing accordingly with visible patrolling and community engagement.

Across all these incidents, a common theme emerges that early intervention and open communication are key to preventing violence.

Timely discussions with community leaders, careful planning for public events, and a focus on maintaining law and order without escalating tensions can make a significant difference. Ensuring that authorities are trained to manage large crowds and sensitive situations with non-violent methods is essential.

Nagpur’s past provides a clear record of what happens when conflicts are left unaddressed and planning is insufficient.

The city has experienced loss, disruption, and the aftermath of avoidable violence. Learning from these moments involves acknowledging what went wrong and taking practical steps to ensure that future incidents are handled with caution, speed, and fairness.