BHOPAL: A victory procession taken out to celebrate Indian cricket team's Champions Trophy title triumph, on Sunday night led to a communal clash between two groups at Ambedkar Nagar-Mhow town in western Madhya Pradesh's Indore district.
At least four persons were injured in the clash with a few suffering fracture. A few police personnel sustained minor injuries while dealing with the rioters.
The clash broke out at around 10.45 pm when members of the victory procession burst crackers when they reached near the Jama Masjid where people were offering late night prayers.
The heated exchange of words between the two groups soon took a violent turn, after some people attacked the victory procession, subsequently leading to stone pelting from both sides.
An uncontrolled mob not just pelted stones but also torched multiple vehicles in the area and the neighbouring locations.
Subsequently, reports of stone pelting and damaging vehicles came from localities adjoining the Jama Masjid area, including Patti Bazar, Market Chowk, Manak Chowk, Sabji Market, Gaffar Hotel and Connaught Road.
Vehicles were damaged or set ablaze by the rioters, even as the police personnel from at least four police station areas were pressed into action to control the situation. The rioters also attempted to set some shops ablaze.
“Around 7-8 vehicles were torched by the rioters and stone-pelting too was reported from multiple localities, but the main violence happened largely in Patti Bazar and adjoining areas,” informed sources told this newspaper.
“The violent mob was dispersed through the use of force as well as tear gas shells in various areas, particularly the area from where the violence actually started. The situation has been brought under control now,” Mhow additional SP Rupesh Dwivedi said.
Visuals of mob pelting stones and another group of men damaging a two-wheeler in one of the areas went viral late at night.
Indore district collector Ashish Singh, who reached Mhow town on Sunday-Monday night, said, “Total peace and normalcy has returned to Mhow. We’re identifying through videos those involved in the series of violence and strict action will be taken against them. But right now, our priority is to ensure that peace and tranquility prevails.”
The local BJP MLA and former MP minister Usha Thakur (counted among the MP BJP’s hardliner Hindutva brigade politicians) said, “Be it Banda Basti, Hyderabadi Basti or the Jama Masjid locality, the deshdrohis (traitors) won’t be allowed to raise their ugly head in Mhow. We’ll request the state’s CM to ensure the strongest action against those identified in the videos for indulging in violence.”
With Mhow subdivision of Indore district of western MP, also housing a key military cantonment base, army personnel too were seen securitising some areas on a truck late in the night.
According to inspector general of Indore Rural Range (IG-Indore Rural) Anurag, “An FIR has been registered under BNS sections pertaining to rioting against 17 named persons and many unidentified persons. Entire situation was brought under control by 12.45 am."
Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Mhow town is importantly the birthplace of Dr BR Ambedkar and also key to the country's defence establishment, as it houses three premier defence training institutions – Army War College, the Infantry School and the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering. Importantly, as per sources the Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi is scheduled to arrive soon in Mhow, owing to which the entire Army establishment in Mhow too is on a heightened alert.
Mhow is also one of the strongholds of the ruling BJP and allied saffron outfits in western MP, with the Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Mhow assembly constituency having been won since 2008 by the saffron party. The assembly seat has also played a key role in BJP’s three successive victories from the Dhar-ST Lok Sabha seat since 2014.
According to informed sources, around a year back, there was consensus between leaders from both communities (Hindus and Muslims) to ensure that religious processions don’t travel through the places of worship of either community to prevent any violence due to provocative incidents.
Meanwhile, around 65 km away from Mhow in Dewas district of western MP, Champions Trophy title victory celebrations took a slightly ugly turn on Sunday late night after some men forming part of the celebrations near the Sayaji Gate reportedly misbehaved with the in-charge of the local police station. No case, however, was registered in the matter.