Karnataka's Home Minister, G Parameshwara, has confirmed that the situation in Maddur is now under control following communal clashes that broke out during a Ganesha immersion procession on 7 September.
Prohibitory orders were swiftly put in place and additional police forces were deployed as tension gripped the town. The clashes began when stones were thrown at a Ganesha procession in Ram Rahim Nagar, approximately 500 metres from a mosque.
According to the police, members of the procession retaliated, which led to a confrontation for which they dispersed the two groups. Subsequently, Hindu activists protested, chanting 'Jai Sri Ram' slogans, burning tyres, and waving saffron flags.
Mandya Superintendent of Police, Mallikarjun Baladandi, stated that two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered, one by the police themselves and another based on a complaint from an injured individual. He assured that 21 people have been taken into custody, with more arrests expected.
"Everyone has been discharged. One person got four stitches, otherwise all are minor injuries. Section 144 has been imposed in the area to prevent further flare-ups,” the SP added.
In addition to the events in Maddur, Hubballi also saw tension after miscreants reportedly threw stones during a Ganesha procession on Saturday night.
Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) contingents have been deployed across Maddur, and senior officers are camping in the area to ensure peace, even as police across districts have been placed on alert in the wake of incidents reported from Maddur, Hubballi, and Shivamogga.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said all the culprits in the Maddur incident have been arrested. "There's no problem now. The immersion of Ganesha happened afterwards. Small incidents have taken place. At one place, a stabbing attempt was made for bringing a flag. At another place, people spat from the rooftop on small children of three and four years of age during the Ganapati procession. These types of incidents have happened. Everything is under control," he said urging both the communities to maintain peace.
"Lakhs of Ganapati idols were immersed across the state. Nowhere such commotion took place," he said. "When we were thinking that everything passed off peacefully, the Maddur incident occurred. We will take action as per law."
Responding to allegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party that the violence was a result of "appeasement politics," Parameshwara remarked, "They will keep saying that. The police department has already taken all kinds of measures by deploying more forces in sensitive districts. We sent senior officers to those districts. We have clamped prohibitory orders. We will not let this escalate."
On X, BJP state president BY Vijayendra strongly criticised the state government, claiming that law and order had collapsed under Congress rule. He alleged that Hindu festivals and processions were no longer safe in the state. "During the Ganesh immersion processions, fanatical miscreants are forming gangs and pelting stones — such incidents have been reported from many parts of the state, including Mandya, Dharwad, Bagalkote, and Hubballi. Yesterday in Maddur, miscreants created a tense atmosphere by continuously hurling stones. In this stone-pelting, women and police personnel were seriously injured, which is extremely alarming, and BJP strongly condemns this," Vijayendra said.
He further alleged that the Congress government's "bias" and "soft approach" had emboldened the miscreants.
Reports also emerged from Sagar in the Shivamogga district that a Ganapati idol had been desecrated. Such "outrageous acts in the name of minorities" have instilled fear, especially among Hindu women, Vijayendra, the Shikarupura MLA, claimed. "This situation makes it appear as if the state is under a ‘Mughal-inspired’ rule. If the government does not act ruthlessly against fanatical wrongdoers, the people of the state themselves will teach the Congress government a fitting lesson," Vijayendra warned.
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