Staff Reporter

 

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Saturday that the losses caused during the Monday riots in the city would be recovered from the rioters. “If they fail to pay, their properties will be seized and sold to recover the losses,” he said. Fadnavis arrived in Nagpur late Friday evening for the first time since the violence occurred on March 17. He held a high-level meeting with top-ranking police and District Administration officials at the Police Bhavan and took stock of its causes, and any possible lapses. He also reviewed the action taken by the police and shared his observations with them. Fadnavis underlined that police would remain on high alert and any disturbance will not be tolerated. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible,” he stated.

 

The Chief Minister confirmed that 104 rioters had been identified so far, with action already taken against 92 of them, including 12 minors. The identification of the accused is still underway. He also stated that social media posts that helped escalate the violence will lead to legal action, with 68 such posts identified and deleted. Asked about any foreign involvement in the riots, particularly from Bangladesh, Fadnavis said, it was too early to comment, but there may be a Malegaon connection as one accused linked to a political party could be involved. Regarding the use of bulldozers, similar to the actions taken in Uttar Pradesh, Fadnavis clarified that Maharashtra would take action according to its own methods. He assured that anyone involved in wrongdoing would be punished and necessary measures will be taken, including bulldozer action, if needed. Contd from page 1 Fadnavis also responded to questions about an incident where women constables were allegedly attacked during the riots. He confirmed that while stones were thrown at them, there was no indecent behaviour.

 

The Chief Minister also criticized the Congress party’s committee visiting Nagpur to assess the riots. He pointed out that one of its members was previously involved in the Akola riots, which he said showed the committee was not serious in its inquiry. Fadnavis reassured the public that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to Nagpur on March 30 would not be affected by the riots. He stated that while there were incidents in some areas, life in the rest of the city remained normal. Finally, Fadnavis announced that the curfew in Nagpur would be lifted gradually. Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Commissioner of Police Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal and others were present in the press conference.