9 arrested in MP for stone-pelting during Hanuman Jayanti procession
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Bhopal: Police have apprehended nine persons in connection with stone-pelting during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Madhya Pradesh's Guna city, officials said on Sunday.
The incident occurred at approximately 7:45 PM on Saturday near a mosque in the Colonelganj area, where members of two communities confronted each other. Authorities promptly intervened to restore order.
The situation was currently peaceful, the officials said.
"Eight-nine persons from among those involved in the stone-pelting have been taken into custody. They will be charged on the basis of videos and CCTV footage of the incident. More persons are being identified," Additional Superintendent of Police Man Singh Thakur told PTI.
The police were searching for the other accused, and they will be arrested, he said.
The incident occurred when the procession was passing in front of a mosque. There was some communication gap during which the two groups came face-to-face, leading to stone-pelting, Guna Collector Kishore Kanyal said.
There was no permission to take out the procession in that area, he said.
However, Ranjeet Khatik, one of the procession organisers, said, "The administration is saying that there was no permission, but I have all the proof of the permission." Stones were pelted when some boys raised the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram', while the other group, in retaliation, raised the 'Allahhu Akbar' slogan, he claimed.
Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Sinha reported that information about stone-pelting during a procession was received around 7:45 PM on Saturday, following a confrontation between members of two communities. The police force stationed at Tekri Dham promptly rushed to the scene.
A complaint filed by a local corporator led to the registration of a case, naming four to five individuals, while 15 to 20 others remain unidentified. Security forces from neighbouring districts were deployed to manage the situation.
According to Thakur, police personnel from three districts were dispatched and stationed in various areas. The collector confirmed that the situation is now under control.
(inputs from PTI)
