ROURKELA: A religious clash disrupted the Ganesh idol immersion procession in Birmitrapur town on Friday night, leading to the arrest of six persons on charges of rioting and inciting communal disharmony.Birmitrapur sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Sushant Das, revealed that a peace committee meeting was convened on Saturday, chaired by Sundargarh superintendent of police, Pratyush Diwaker. The aim was to restore peace and harmony between the two communities involved in the clash, he added.
The incident occurred when a group from one religious community objected to the high-pitched DJ music during the Ganesh idol immersion procession, which was passing through the Gandhi Road area on Saturday night. This objection escalated into vandalism, as they damaged a vehicle and the DJ system.In retaliation, participants from the Ganesh Puja procession confronted the agitators, resulting in a full-fledged group clash.
To maintain law and order, one platoon of police force was deployed in the area following the clash on Friday night. The immersion processions was organised smoothly by Ganesh Puja committees on Saturday. The authorities are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any further communal tensions from flaring up. Investigation is on.