Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday warned of action against persons found to be intimidating Muslims or sowing communal discord, ANI reported.

Pawar’s comments were made at an iftar party that he hosted in Mumbai, The Times of India reported.

The development comes amid communal tensions in the state over demands by Hindutva groups for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

“Anyone who shows an eye to our Muslim brothers and sisters, if anyone tries to create a fight between two groups and takes law and order in his hands, whoever he is - he will not be spared, he will not be forgiven,” the Nationalist Congress Party leader said while reassuring Muslims that their “brother Ajit Pawar” would stand by them.

He added: “India is a symbol of unity in diversity... We should not fall into the trap of any divisive forces. We have just celebrated Holi… Gudi Padwa and Eid are coming - all these festivals teach us to live together. We should all celebrate it together because unity is our real strength.”

Hindutva groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have in recent weeks stepped up their campaign to demand the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, claiming that the structure is a “symbol of pain and slavery”.

The two groups convened protests in several cities in Maharashtra on March 17.

Hours after the protest by Hindutva groups on March 17, clashes erupted in central Nagpur’s Chitnis Park at 7.30 pm. Stones were thrown at the police amid rumours that a cloth with the Islamic declaration of faith, known as the Kalma, had been burnt during an agitation by a Hindutva group in the late afternoon. The police, however, denied that such a cloth was burnt.

Another clash erupted in Hansapuri, an area close to Chitnis Park, between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm. The violence also spread to the Kotwali and Ganeshpeth areas of Nagpur. So far, the police have arrested 92 persons and detained 12 minors in connection with the violence.

Reacting to Pawar’s statement, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said: “I do not know what Ajit Pawar said, a patriotic person of any caste or religion will not be troubled, but whoever is guilty will not be spared.”

The BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar are allies in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition.

Fadnavis on March 8 backed calls for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb but said that it would have to be done within the ambit of the law as the site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis claimed that the Hindi film Chhaava had sparked public anger against Aurangzeb and suggested that it may have contributed to the violence in Nagpur.