Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of a western Indian city on Tuesday, a day after sectarian clashes were sparked by Hindu nationalist groups who want to demolish the tomb of a 17th-century Muslim Mughal ruler. <\/p>\n
Clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra state\u2019s Nagpur city broke out on Monday during a protest led by Hindu nationalist groups demanding the demolition of the tomb of Aurangzeb, a Muslim Mughal ruler who has been dead for more than 300 years. <\/p>\n
Lawmaker Chandrashekhar Bawankule said at least 34 police personnel and five other people were injured and several houses and vehicles were damaged during the violence. Senior police office Ravinder Singal said at least 50 people have been arrested so far. <\/p>\n
Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra\u2019s top elected official, said the violence began after \u201crumors were spread that things containing religious content were burnt\u201d by the protesters, referring to the Quran. <\/p>\n
Aurangzeb\u2019s tomb is in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar city, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Nagpur. The city was earlier called Aurangabad, after the Mughal ruler. <\/p>\n
Aurangzeb is a loathed figure among India\u2019s Hindu nationalists, who accuse him of persecuting Hindus during his rule in the 17th century, even though some historians say such stories are exaggerated. <\/p>\n
As tensions between Hindus and Muslims have mounted under Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scorn for Aurangzeb has grown. Modi has made references to Aurangzeb in the past, accusing him of persecuting Hindus. <\/p>\n
Such remarks have led to anxieties among the country\u2019s significant Muslim minority who in recent years have been at the receiving end of violence from Hindu nationalists, emboldened by a prime minister who has mostly stayed mum on such attacks since he was first elected in 2014. <\/p>\n
Tensions over the Mughal ruler have intensified in India after the release of Bollywood movie \u201cChhaava,\u201d an action film based on a Hindu warrior who fought against Aurangzeb. The film has been lambasted by some movie critics for feeding into a divisive narrative that risks exacerbating religious rifts in the country. <\/p>\n
While there have long been tensions between India\u2019s majority Hindu community and Muslims, rights groups say that attacks against minorities have become more brazen under Modi. They also accuse Modi of discriminatory policies towards the country\u2019s Muslims. <\/p>\n
Modi\u2019s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party denies this. <\/p>\n
Hindu extremists have also targeted Muslim places of worship across the country and laid claim to several famous mosques, arguing they are built on the ruins of prominent temples. Many such cases are pending in courts. <\/p>\n
Last year, Modi delivered on a longstanding demand from Hindu nationalists \u2014 and millions of Hindus \u2014 when he opened a controversial temple on the site of a razed mosque in northern India\u2019s Ayodhya city. The 16th-century Babri mosque was demolished in 1992 by Hindu mobs who believe Ram, one of Hinduism\u2019s most revered deity, was born at the exact spot. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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