NAGPUR: The Nagpur Police failed to read the writing on the wall even as the communal cauldron was being churned since noon in the heart of Old Nagpur that houses the Sangh headquarters. Not only was the force outnumbered, but also overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack that left at least 34 policemen, including four IPS officers injured. After battling rioters for four hours at Mahal, the intelligence apparatus again failed to fortify sensitive localities in the 3km radius that led to violence spilling over to Hansapuri at midnight. The cyber cell was also caught napping as inflammatory video clips went viral in the city.
Violence began in Mahal following a protest by a right-wing organisation, which secured permission from Kotwali police station to hold the stir, but moved agitation site to Ganeshpeth police limits, highlighting a jurisdictional lapse. Sources said, cops rushed to tackle rioters in makeshift protective gear and were unprepared to manage violence of this scale, exposing a sluggish response, poor intelligence gathering and lack of skill in anti-riot operations. Many officers were spotted wearing bike helmets.
“There was no plan in place to control the mob with police failing to anticipate internal lanes would turn into battle zones. While cops were trying to push back stone-pelters, many began vandalising vehicles and shops in the narrow lanes. Cops were taken off guard by the heavy stockpiling of stones and the surge of protesters from inner lanes,” said a top source. A senior officer admitted to misjudging the situation and failing to predict the mob’s movements.
“We were pushing them back towards Chitnis Park, but many of them started running into inner lanes and many officers were injured,” the officer said. While police managed to control the crowd in Mahal and began detaining rioters, violence suddenly broke out in Hansapuri, 3km away from Chitnis Park. With resources concentrated in Mahal, police were slow to respond, giving rioters in Hansapuri a free run.
“The police should have anticipated that Central Nagpur is a sensitive area with a mixed population. Cops should have been mobilised in other sensitive areas like Hansapuri, Mominpura to stave off an escalation in violence,” sources said.
A senior officer admitted to being blindsided by the spillover in Hansapuri. “We were taking measures and calling for backup as Mahal violence started escalating. We were trying to subdue protesters but did not anticipate an attack in Hansapuri. Soon, we sent teams there,” the officer stated. However, according to sources, the delay in sending forces allowed rioters in Hansapuri to run amok, causing widespread destruction.
Several lapses in the police’s approach have come under scrutiny. Sources revealed that the mishandling began even before the stone-pelting incident. “With Ramzan and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary on Monday, police should have anticipated the situation could turn ugly after the burning of Aurangzeb’s effigy. Already, a group objected to the burning of a green cloth, and its videos had become viral,” sources said.
Meanwhile, a procession celebrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also scheduled to pass through the sensitive area, where a mosque was just a few metres away. Police should have taken steps by deploying Quick Response Teams and Riot Control Police in the morning, said an officer.
