16 held for violence during Hanuman Jayanti procession in M.P.’s Guna
At least 16 people have been arrested so far in connection with communal clashes that took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna on Saturday night during a Hanuman Jayanti procession, the police said on Sunday.
Guna Kotwali police station in-charge Brajmohan Singh Bhadoriya told The Hindu that while nine men were arrested late night on Saturday, seven fresh arrests were made on Sunday.
“We have arrested 16 men so far. The prime accused, Vicky Pathan, was arrested last night. The situation is now peaceful in the area but personnel have been deployed in adequate numbers to avoid any untoward incident. We have also called personnel from the neighbouring Shivpuri district,” he said.
Two communities clashed in Guna’s Colonelganj area at around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday when a Hanuman Jayanti yatra of about 100 people was passing by a mosque, the police said.
Guna Additional Superintendent of Police Maan Singh Thakur said an altercation broke out between members of the two communities over loud music, that led to sloganeering and stone-pelting. He said that 13 people suffered minor injuries in the clashes.
An FIR against five identified and over 20 unidentified persons was filed on Saturday night based on a complaint from local Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Omprakash Kushwaha, who was among the procession’s organisers.
Mr. Thakur said that the police identified the accused based on CCTV and mobile footage, and that efforts are still on to see if more people were involved in the incident.
Mr. Thakur said that the procession had also been taken out without permission.
“The organisers had given an information about it on April 7 but they did not take formal permission from the local administration,” he added.
Damoh SP Sanjeev Sinha had said Saturday night that the procession was “taken out forcefully” and that “sloganeering was done” near a place of worship of another community which led to the altercation.
Mr. Bhadoriya said that a complaint has also been received from the Muslim community members and that action will be taken as per evidence.
The FIR has been filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 109, 296, 125, 115(2), 324(4), 190, and 191(2) and (3).
A video also surfaced allegedly showing Mr. Kushwaha and some men thrashing a Muslim man in police presence on Sunday. When asked about the incident, Mr. Sinha denied that Mr. Kushwaha was involved.
“It was not him. Some other men were involved in this. We are trying to identify the victim and will take action when he gives a complaint,” he said.
Mr. Sinha also said that no action has yet been taken against the organisers for taking out the procession “without permission”.
