Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the bulldozer will roll if necessary when asked if perpetrators of violence in Nagpur will face the “Uttar Pradesh style” action.
Addressing the media, he said the government would recover the cost of property damaged during the violence from rioters, and if they failed to compensate, their properties would be seized and sold to recover the losses.
Replying to a query whether “bulldozer action” will be initiated against rioters in Nagpur on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, Fadnavis said, “The Maharashtra government has its own style of working….bulldozer will roll when necessary”.
“Wherever wrong things are happening, they will be crushed. Nobody (perpetrators) will be spared,” he added.
He emphasised that strict action would be taken against those who attacked police officers during the unrest.
Fadnavis stressed that the incident cannot be termed “intelligence failure”, but the intelligence (gathering) could have been better. “Police will be alert. We won’t tolerate any kind of disturbance”.
He said 104 individuals have been identified so far, following an analysis of CCTV footage and video recordings. Action has been initiated against 92 people, including 12 minors, as per the law.
The violence erupted on March 17, after rumours spread that a chadar’ with religious inscriptions had been burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
The clashes resulted in widespread stone-pelting and arson across several parts of the city, leaving 33 police personnel, including three Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officers, injured.
Fadnavis said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Nagpur on March 30 would proceed as planned, unaffected by the violence.
