Aurangzeb row | Six days after violence, curfew completely lifted in Nagpur, forces to keep close watch

Mumbai: Six days after communal clashes hit Nagpur, curfew was lifted from all places in the Orange city on Sunday afternoon but a hawk-eyed vigil will be maintained.

Security will continue to be tight in the wake of the impending visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Nagpur on March 30 coinciding with the Gudi Padwa festivities during which he is also expected to visit the RSS headquarters and meet the Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state’s Home Minister, is reviewing the security arrangements on a daily basis.

Multiple FIRs have been filed and over 100 persons have been arrested in connection with the riots over the past week.

Following the violence on March 17, Nagpur City Police chief Dr Ravinder Singhal ordered imposition of curfew in Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Tehsil, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, Shanti Nagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imambada, Yashodhara Nagar and Kapil Nagar police station areas.

However, curfew was lifted from Nandanvan and Kapil Nagar police station areas on March 20 and from Pachpaoli, Shanti Nagar, Lakadganj, Sakkardara and Imambada areas on March 22.

On Sunday, curfew was lifted from Kotwali, Tehsil, Ganeshpeth and Yashodhara Nagar areas.

On Saturday, 38-year-old welder Irfan Shaifique Ahmed Ansari, who was caught in the crossfire during Monday’s communal riots and sustained serious injuries, succumbed to injuries.

Ansari hailed from the Bande Garib Nawaz Nagar and was caught between the rioters while he was heading towards the Itwari locality.

Ansari passed away at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital.

“We tried our best to save him but we couldn’t. Doctors treated him well, but they couldn’t save him. On the way, some unknown people attacked him so brutally that he fainted. He had severe injuries on his head, his leg was fractured, and he suffered back injuries,” said the victim’s brother Imran Sani.