Nagpur violence: Chhaava linked to clashes, CM Fadnavis says film ‘ignited anger against Aurangzeb’

Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has blamed the Vicky Kaushal movie Chhaava for the recent violence over the dismantling of Aurangzeb’s tomb, which led to riots in Nagpur on Monday evening. 

“‘Chhaava’ has ignited people’s anger against Aurangzeb. Still, everyone must keep Maharashtra peaceful,” CM Fadnavis said in the Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday.

Fadnavis said the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, brought the Maratha King’s history to the forefront and reignited anger towards the 17th-century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. 

“After that (the movie), people’s emotions have been reignited. The anger against Aurangzeb is being exhibited in a big way,” he said.

Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, said 33 police personnel, including three deputy commissioners of police, were injured in the violence, and one of the senior officials was attacked with an axe.

“There appears to be a pre-planned pattern of some people. Action will certainly be taken against them, and whoever has attacked police personnel will not be spared. Normalcy is being restored,” Fadnavis said in the Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday.

A curfew is in place under 11 police station jurisdictions in Nagpur.

Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava

Chhaava, starring Vicky Kaushal, is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical action film based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire. Vicky Kaushal plays the titular character in this adaptation of Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novelChhaava. 

It is directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films. The cast also includes Rashmika Mandanna and Akshaye Khanna.

Chhaava Previous Controversy

Vicky Kaushal’s film Chhaava had ignited controversy because of its historical inaccuracies. Earlier in January, Devendra Fadnavis urged the makers of the Vicky Kaushal-Rashmika Mandanna starrer Chhaava to maintain a balance between “sensitivity and creativity” for such projects.

The film’s trailer has a sequence in which Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna, who portray Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Maharani Yesubai, respectively. In the scene, they are shown dancing with the ‘lezim’, a traditional musical instrument tied with Maharashtra’s cultural heritage, raising questions about historical accuracy and portrayal of the Maratha legacy.

Nagpur Violence: CM Fadnavis details sequence of events

Giving the sequence of the events, CM Fadnavis said that at 11.30 am on Monday, activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal staged a protest in the Mahal area of Nagpur city, demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave.

They also made a symbolic grave with hay and set fire to it, he said.

Fadnavis said a case was registered against the activists at the Ganesh Peth police station in the afternoon, and the section related to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings was invoked against them.

He said that by evening, a rumour was spread that the symbolic grave set on fire had some religious content on it.

Following this, 200-300 people started raising slogans and threatened to resort to violence, and the police used mild force.

Fadnavis said protesters were also asked to come to the Ganesh Peth police station as they wanted to lodge a complaint against the VHP and Bajrang Dal workers.

“While the police action was underway, 200-300 people in Hansapuri resorted to stone pelting. Their faces were covered. Some people were attacked with sharp weapons,” he said.

The chief minister said the third incident occurred at 7.30 pm in Bhaldarpura, where a crowd of 80 to 100 people attacked the police. So, police used tear gas and mild force to deal with the situation.

A crane and two JCBs were set on fire by the mob, he said.

Fadnavis said three cases had been registered at Ganesh Peth station, and police were registering two cases at Tehsil police station.