Nagpur, March 17 -- Congress leader Pawan Khera has blamed the BJP-led government for the violence that erupted in Nagpur's Mahal area, alleging a failure in maintaining law and order, while questioning how such unrest could take place in a city with a 300-year history of communal harmony, and accusing some political parties of deliberately provoking tensions for their own gains.

"A riot broke out in Mahal, the hometown of Maharashtra's Chief Minister. Nagpur has a 300-year-old history, and no riot has ever happened here before. We should ask why such a situation has arisen," Khera said.

He pointed out that the BJP is in power at both the Centre and the state. "If the VHP and Bajrang Dal organised a protest demanding the removal of Aura...