Communal tensions engulfed Nagamangala town in Karnataka’s Mandya district following clashes between two groups during a Ganapati procession.

The incident reportedly occurred when devotees from Badarikoppalu were carrying Ganesh idols for immersion. As the procession made its way along the main road, stones were allegedly thrown at it from near a mosque, according to a report by India Today.

Several Hindu youths placed the Ganesha idol in front of the police station and staged a protest demanding justice. A group also set fire to a few shops and burned tyres in a display of anger, intensifying the tensions further, according to a report by Deccan Herald.

Videos shared on social media also showed the two groups throwing stones at each other.

Senior officers from the police and revenue departments swiftly arrived at the scene to calm the crowd and de-escalate the situation.

In response, the police declared a high alert in the area and imposed Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (an order issued in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) to restore order.

"Prohibitory orders were imposed in Mandya district's Nagamangala after a group of miscreants set shops on fire, and two police staff were injured. I have no information related to the machete or other weapons used in the clash. Investigation is underway. We are verifying the reasons for the instigation, our officers are on duty. We have detained a few people and a search is going on. Restriction orders will continue." said MB Boralingaiah, South Division IGP.

According to The Times of India, the Ganesha idols have been temporarily placed near a temple as devotees continue to demand the arrest of those responsible for disrupting the procession.

The incident in Karnataka follows closely on the heels of an event in Gujarat's Surat, where six minors were arrested for allegedly throwing stones at a Ganesh pandal, leading to clashes.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy condemned the violence in Nagamangala town and attributed the incident to the ruling Congress government. He alleged that the unrest was a result of the Congress's “appeasement of one community.”

“I strongly condemn the incident that took place during the Ganesha immersion procession in Nagamangala, Mandya district. It is a failure of peace and order in the town that the miscreants of a community deliberately indulged in violence by targeting the devotees, who were walking peacefully in the procession of God Ganapati, throwing stones and slippers at the public and policemen, exploding petrol bombs and brandishing swords,” the minister, who is also Mandya Lok Sabha member, wrote on X.

Image source: PTI