Maddur communal clash: Action as per law, be it Hindu or Muslim, says CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said his government will take action as per law against those responsible for violence during a Ganesha idol procession at Maddur in Mandya.

"Whoever was wrong -- Hindu or Muslim -- action will be take against them as per law," Siddaramaiah said at a news conference.

The police have arrested 21 persons in connection with violence during the procession in front of a mosque on Sunday, Siddaramaiah said.

"There was no untoward incident anywhere, except in Maddur," he added.

Further action will be initiated based on a report submitted by Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy, the minister in-charge of Mandya, the CM said.

Siddaramaiah also defended the police, who resorted to lathicharge to manage the situation. "The crowd did not disperse even after being told," he said. "The information I have is that the police haven't done anything wrong. They followed the law," he said. "If the police, BJP, JD(S) or Congress have done wrong, it's wrong. Be it a Hindu or Muslim, a wrong is a wrong," he added.

Chaluvarayaswamy accused the BJP of trying to build its base in the Vokkaliga-dominated Mandya using "communal" issues. "Unnecessary provocation in the form of protests mustn't happen," he said.

Siddaramaiah, too, slammed the BJP. "They're experts in provocation," he said.

Hindus unsafe, says Ashoka

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka charged that "Hindus are no longer safe while celebrating their festivals" in Congress-ruled Karnataka.

"The communal clash during Ganesh Visarjan in Maddur, Mandya is not an accident - it is the outcome of Congress' dangerous appeasement politics under Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar. Miscreants attack Hindus with impunity. Police, instead of protecting, are ordered to lathi-charge peaceful Hindus. Intelligence, law and order completely collapsed. This government has reduced Hindus to second-class citizens in their own land," Ashoka said.

Ashoka urged the CM to "act immediately or step aside if (you) cannot protect innocent Hindus".