Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch was stricken by communal clashes on Monday after a Lord Hanuman idol was placed outside a Dargah in the area. Local authorities noted the altercation had been sparked by the placement of the idol.
No injuries have been reported despite stones being pelted and vehicles damaged. During a clash between two groups in the old Kachari area after some people placed an idol of Lord Hanuman near a dargah, some people threw stones at three to four motorcycles, but no one was injured. “We deployed an adequate amount of police force,” the Neemuch SP said last night. We have registered three FIRs and detained nine people.
Though tense, the current situation appears tranquil.
Last week, Section 144 was re-instituted in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district as a preventive measure following communal clashes reported in several parts of the country over the past two months. In a joint notice issued by the police and the district administration last Wednesday, no rallies, processions, jagarans, shobha yatras or political rallies will be permitted until July 10 in the riot-hit district.
Violence broke out in Khargone on April 10, including arson and stone throwing, on the occasion of Ram Navami. The state administration transferred the district collector, the Superintendent of Police, and the Additional Superintendent of Police on Saturday, approximately a month after the incident.
Along with Khargone ASP Neeraj Chaurasiya, SP Siddharth Chaudhary was transferred to the police headquarters in Bhopal after he was injured in the communal clashes during the Ram Navami procession. A total of 182 people have been arrested in 72 cases related to the violence to date.
