Will Seize Properties of Rioters: CM

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the government will recover the cost of damages incurred during the March 17 Nagpur violence from the rioters and seize their properties if needed.

- HTC and Agencies

NAGPUR:

The BJP leader, who represents the Nagpur South West constituency in the assembly, also warned of bulldozer action against the perpetrators if necessary.

"The cost of properties damaged during Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to the seizure and selling of their properties to recover losses," Fadnavis said on his first visit to the city since protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar turned violent.

"My government will not rest until those responsible for attacking the police are found and dealt with sternly," the CM, who also heads the home ministry, said.

He said the situation in Nagpur is calm now, and efforts are underway to relax the curfew imposed in certain areas. "Riots broke out only in parts of the city, while 80% of Nagpur wasn't impacted," he said.

Fadnavis stressed that the incident could not be termed as "intelligence failure", but the intelligence gathering could have been better.