Ganesh immersion procession violence: 52 arrested, K'taka Home Minister says incident 'accidental'

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Thursday that 52 people were arrested in the case of violence during the Ganesh idol immersion procession in Nagamangala town of Mandya district, and added that it was an "incident which took place accidentally".

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "What happened in Nagamangala town is not an incident of communal clash. It is an incident which took place accidentally. The stone pelting incident took place during the procession for Ganesh idol immersion. Two groups clashed with each other. During the clash, bikes and shops were torched. Someone pelted stones when the Ganesh Visarjan procession was taking place. In turn, another group also pelted stones. There is no loss of life in the incident. Presently, additional police are deputed to the spot. The police have arrested 52 persons in connection with the incident. An ASI was also injured in the violence. No one should pursue politics in this."

Reacting to the BJP's decision to send a delegation to Nagamangala, Parameshwara stated, "I appeal to BJP leaders not to carry out politics in this matter. Let them provide legal advice. ADGP has gone to the spot, if necessary I will visit the spot. The District Superintendent of Police, IGP, and KSRP units are present at the location. We will not allow this to escalate, and the police have contained the situation. I request that the incident not be overly publicized. Not many people were injured in the incident," he stated.

"The scenes related to the incident have been captured on camera. Based on this evidence, we will take action against those who threw stones and set fire. The police were also pelted with stones. It does not appear to be politically motivated. I will not comment on Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's statement that excessive appeasement is the reason for the incident. I am not aware of how he used to do appeasement in the past," he said.

"There is no need to politicise this issue. If left to the police, they will take action according to the law. If there is any legal advice to offer, it is welcome. I will gather more information from the officials about who all were involved in the incident," he reiterated.

Parameshwara further stated that the recruitment exam for 402 PSI posts has been scheduled for Saturday, September 28. Over a hundred aspirants in the state have cleared the UPSC prelims exam and are eligible for the main exam. Since the UPSC main exam and the PSI exam are scheduled for September 22, candidates cannot take both exams, which means they will miss one of the opportunities. Therefore, aspirants had requested to postpone the PSI exam, he stated.

"A delegation from the BJP also submitted a request. Upon discussing it with KEA officials, I was informed that there were no available dates for the exam until December. I spoke with Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa to make arrangements for conducting the exam on a Saturday. Since teachers are required for the exam, considering all aspirants' requests and for their convenience, it has been decided to conduct the exam on September 28," Parameshwara said.

"Regarding raising the age limit for police constable recruitment, we have collected information from other states. We will discuss it with senior department officials, review the report, and decide accordingly," he stated.

(With inputs from IANS)