Three injured in Kolar group clash
Temple desecration by miscreants triggers protests; police lathicharge mobs
Tension prevailed in the city on Wednesday following protests and a procession by pro-Hindu groups, after meat was allegedly found at a temple at Ammavaripet.
Members of a particular community started pelting stones during the procession and police resorted to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
Three people, including two police constables, were reported injured.
It was a virtual bundh in the city following the incident and prohibitory orders have been clamped. Pieces of meat were found in the temple premises at 6.15 am, which triggered the protests.
Hundreds of members of pro-Hindu organisations gathered at the spot.
They held miscreants belonging to a particular community responsible for desecrating the temple. They refused to leave the spot till action was taken against the suspects. They did not allow the police to remove the pieces of meat from the temple premises.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Manoj Kumar Meena and Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr K Tyagarajan rushed to the spot.
Talks between them and the protesters failed to break the deadlock.
DC at it again
Police resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the mob. The DC snatched the stick bearing the flag from one of the protesters and used it to discipline the crowd. The tension eased after pieces of meat were forcibly moved out of the temple premises.
Workers of a number of organisations took out a protest march from Gandhivana through the main thoroughfares of the city.
The protestors forced shopkeepers to down their shutters and prevented buses from plying from the New Bus Stand Circle.
As the procession approached the Clock Tower Circle, the DC and the SP stopped the protestors from reaching there. This resulted in heated arguments and the protestors managed to reach the Circle.
Meanwhile, members of a particular community started pelting stones from the other side.
Three people, including two constables, were injured in the incident.
Police caned the clashing groups to ease the situation. Tension prevailed for about 10 minutes.
At this stage, another group of pro-Hindu organisations held a protest at the New Bus Stand Circle and set a tyre on fire, worsening the situation. The DC promulgated prohibitory orders in the city.
As police dispersed mobs at various places in the city, peace prevailed by 1 pm.
Bus services resumed, but shops could open only by evening. Malini Krishnamurthy, IGP (Central), visited the city and gathered information from the officials.
She also visited the temple and appealed for restraint.
