Addressing the recent violence in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev on Thursday condemned the glorification of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, calling him a symbol of cruelty and oppression.
"Aurangzeb, who imprisoned his father, denied him food and water, and killed his brother, cannot be an ideal for India," Ramdev stated. He emphasised that while remnants of historical "slavery" should not be preserved, their removal must be carried out peacefully. "No one should preserve the signs of slavery, but we do not want any violence for this. The signs of slavery should be removed peacefully," he added. Violent clashes erupted in Nagpur on March 17 over the demand for the removal of Aurangzeb's grave, with stones hurled at police amid rumours that a holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation. Meanwhile, the situation is back to normalcy as the curfew imposed in several areas was lifted. In a recent development, Maharashtra Police's Cyber cell said that one of the accused in the Nagpur violence "edited and circulated videos" and "glorified violence" on social media, which led to the riots spreading in various parts of the city. "He (Faheem Khan) edited and circulated the video of the protest against Aurangzeb due to which the riots spread. He also glorified violent videos," cyber cell's Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Lohit Matani told ANI here. The police have registered four FIRs in connection with the riots which took place on Monday night in Nagpur. "Four FIRs have been registered. The first FIR is that videos of the protest against Aurangzeb were edited and circulated, and violence was glorified in the videos. The second is about making clips about the violence and spreading them so that there would be violence between two communities. Third is multiple posts were made in which violence was further instigated," Matani said. Accused Faheem Khan was arrested on March 19; he has been remanded in custody till Friday, March 21. Khan is a leader of the Minorities Democratic Party. (ANI)
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