India, March 20 -- Tensions in Nagpur have escalated after police booked Fahim Khan, city chief of the Minority Democratic Party, and five others for sedition and spreading false information on social media, which allegedly triggered violent clashes. The unrest broke out following rumors of a sacred 'chadar' being burnt during protests by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb in Sambhajinagar district.

The violence is being linked to the film Chhava, which portrays the brutal execution of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj by Aurangzeb. Barelvi cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a ban on the film, claiming it incites communal hatred and provoked the...