Opinion Express View: Fadnavis must act firmly and fairly to keep the peace in Nagpur

The tense situation in Nagpur must be swiftly defused. Violence erupted in the city Monday following rumours that a holy book had been desecrated during a demonstration by VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, seeking the removal of the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Khuldabad. The rumour was rapidly amplified by social media and there was stone pelting in the city, injuring more than 30 police personnel. This moment calls for firm action by the administration, and restraint by all political players. In a public statement, Union Minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari has done well to appeal to the city’s “tradition of harmony”, calling on Nagpur residents to “maintain a positive atmosphere”. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, has urged people to “not fall prey to rumours”. “This is a period when festivals of all religions are ongoing. Everyone must respect others,” he has said. Unfortunately, however, such sagacity has not always been a hallmark of the political response. Even now, CM Fadnavis’s linking of the violence to the Bollywood film Chhaava invites questions about his administration passing the buck on the law-and-order front. “The film brought out the real history of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and the emotions of people are overflowing,” the CM, who also holds the home portfolio, told the state assembly on Tuesday.

CM Fadnavis’s remarks about the Mughal Emperor can also be seen as stoking anxieties in an anxious moment and, in that, they do a disservice to his high office. Even as he has appealed for peace from different forums, Fadnavis said, “My government won’t allow attempts to glorify Aurangzeb’s legacy through his mahima mandan”. And at an event in Thane on Monday, he said: “It is unfortunate that the government has to take responsibility for the protection of Aurangzeb’s grave”. Aurangzeb is among the most polarising figures in Indian history. His name often gets embedded in communal narratives. It is invoked in popular culture in ways that pay short shrift to historical complexities and contexts.

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This is a worrying time for a state that is an industrial powerhouse but is seeing declining growth. Maharashtra needs peace, above all, to draw investors and Fadnavis has also underscored this imperative in the assembly. He heads a government that, only a few months ago, swept to power with a formidable mandate. He must act decisively and fairly to keep the calm and must be seen to do so too — as in his first stint as CM, when he was seen as a leader who didn’t hesitate to crack down on attempts to stoke communal tensions and insecurities.