Mandya Ganapathi procession clash: Karnataka police arrests 52; BJP accuses Siddaramaiah govt of shielding attackers

The Karnataka police have so far arrested 52 persons in connection with clashes during Ganesh Chathurthi procession in Mandya on Wednesday. District authorities said the situation has returned to normalcy and prohibitory orders have been imposed in Nagamangala town where clashes occurred.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said some miscreants pelted stones at the Ganesh idol procession when it reached near a mosque in Nagamangala town and 52 persons have been arrested from both sides in connection with clashes that erupted after the incident.

“52 persons have been arrested and additional forces have been deployed in the area. Senior officials are camping there and situation is under control now,” Parameshwara said. He added few persons including two policemen suffered injuries in the clash.

Karnataka Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy visits the incident site in Mandya on Thursday and reviewed the situation. The minister told ANI that the situation is peaceful now and a few shops and motorcycles got damaged in the clashes. “The revenue department and police will survey and assess the damage and submit a report by evening. I will further take the report to the chief minister so that compensation can be given,” he told ANI.

The situation has now returned to normalcy. People are going about their day-to-day activities. Shops are open. We have deployed additional force from Karnataka State Reserve Police along with other police officials including those in civil clothes," Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baldandi told PTI. A case has been registered for unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, obstructing public servants, destruction of public property and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesha idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship on Wednesday, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation. Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and vehicles set on fire, police added. Police used mild force to disperse the crowd and manage the situation.

The group of youth that carried out the procession halted and staged a protest near the police station, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the violence.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the Siddaramaiah government of shielding attackers. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje charged in a X post, “In Nagamangala, Mandya, radical miscreants brutally attacked the Ganesh Visarjan procession, desecrating the idol and torching over 15 Hindu shops. Armed mobs carried out violent assaults, yet Siddaramaiah’s govt continues shielding the culprits..!!”

Karandlaje added, "His (Siddaramiah) appeasement politics are making Hindus suffer again. Every time Siddaramaiah comes to power, Hindus face relentless attacks.”