Nine injured in India religious clashes over emperor's tomb

Nine people were injured during overnight clashes in India that began over a Hindu nationalist outfit's campaign to demolish the tomb of a long-dead Muslim emperor, local media reported Tuesday.

Activists from the far-right Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had been campaigning in the central city of Nagpur to demand the dismantling of the tomb housing Aurangzeb, a Mughal dynasty ruler who died more than 300 years ago.

Aurangzeb is a loathed figure among Hindu nationalists, who accuse him of persecuting their faith during his nearly five-decade rule in the 17th century.

Violence broke out in the city on Monday after protesters set fire to a photo of Aurangzeb along with a symbolic replica of his grave, broadcaster NDTV reported.

Mobs then torched vehicles and vandalized homes, with three police and six civilians injured in the clashes, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Authorities in the city banned gatherings of more than four people to restore order and NDTV said at least 50 people had been arrested so far.

Security has also been tightened around Aurangzeb's tomb, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) west of Nagpur, after another far-right Hindu group threatened its demolition.

Maharashtra state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, himself an outspoken Hindu nationalist, urged the public not to "believe any rumors" about the unrest.

He also expressed some sympathy with the campaign to destroy the tomb, saying it was unfortunate that his government had to protect Aurangzeb's grave "despite his history of persecution".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made several references to Aurangzeb in the past, accusing him of trampling on the Hindu faith and persecuting its followers.

"Aurangzeb and his tyrants had severed many heads," Modi said in 2022.

Since taking office in 2014, Modi's government has been accused by rights groups and critics of championing discriminatory policies towards India's 200-million-plus Muslim minority.

Hindu extremists have also targeted Muslim places of worship across the country, with fringe groups insisting they were built on top of razed Hindu temples.