Fadnavis Warns of Bulldozer Action, Promises to Recover Damage Cost from Nagpur Rioters

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] March 22: On Saturday, Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of Maharashtra, said that attackers were going to pay for fixing up the damage done to public property in Nagpur.

If the cost wasn't paid, Fadnavis said that goods would be taken away, and he alerted of "bulldozer force."

Whatever damage was done will be paid for by the rioters. Their property will be resold to get the money back if they don't pay. Bulldozers will also be used where they are needed, Fadnavis has been reported by ANI as saying.

Stories raise that a "chadar" with sacred texts was set on fire during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which wanted to move the burial place of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. This led to fights in central Nagpur on March 17.

During the fights, several police officers were hurt, including three deputy commissioners of police (DCPs), and many homes and cars were damage. On Saturday, a 40-year-old man died while getting care at a hospital.

104 people arrested so far: Fadnavis said on Saturday that 104 people have been arrested for riots after they appeared on CCTV. He also said that more people would be caught.

Police will take action against people who are part of the riots or who help the rioters, Fadnavis was quoted by ANI as saying. "People who spread misinformation on social media will also be punished." So far, 68 social media posts have been found and taken down..."

It is not true that female police officers were assaulted during the riots, the chief minister also said. "Stones were fired at female police officer, and reports of sex abuse are not true," Fadnavis tells PTI.

He also said that the event could not be called a "intelligence failure," but that the gathering of data could have been better.

Fadnavis also said that there has been no evidence of a foreign hand or a link to Bangladesh. "There is no political angle to the violence," he said.