Communal clash: Maddur bandh on September 9

Maddur, Mandya: Tension prevailed in Maddur in Mandya district on Monday following the stone-throwing incident during Ganesha idol immersion procession on Sunday evening. Twenty-one people were arrested in connection with stone-throwing and produced before the court.

Thousands of additional police personnel from neighbouring districts were deployed in Maddur to prevent trouble on Monday. Hindu outfits called for a ‘Maddur bandh’ on Tuesday and the district administration imposed prohibitory orders till 6 am on  Wednesday.

Eight people who were injured in the stone-throwing incident are being treated at Maddur Taluk Hospital. Members of Hindu outfits claim that a few home guards, police personnel and women too were injured, but the police are yet to confirm it.

Despite prohibitory orders, thousands of people belonging to various Hindu outfits, including BJP and Bajrang Dal, swaying saffron flags, took out a procession condemning the incident. 

The procession started near Ugra Narasimhaswamy temple and passed through the main roads.

The protestors raised slogans against the state government, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the police.

A few members removed green flags belonging to Muslims and fixed the saffron 'bhagawadwaja'. The police took a youth who brandished an iron rod at a commercial complex during the protest march into custody.

The situation turned tense when the procession reached the mosque near Kemmannu Nale Circle, where the protesters torched tyres to vent their ire. They halted on the spot for around half an hour though the police urged the procession to move on.

When a few people pelted the mosque with stones, the police resorted to mild caning to disperse the crowd. A few women complained that the police caned them.

The procession passed through Pete Beedhi and culminated near the IB Circle. The protesters also blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for a while, affecting vehicular movement. 

Former MP Pratap Simha, former minister D C Thammanna, district BJP president Dr Indresh, BJP leaders S P Swamy and Siddaramaiah took part in the procession and condemned the state government and the police for the incident

All shops and business establishments remained closed on Monday as a precaution. Thousands of members of Hindu outfits tried to lay siege to the taluk office with demands for action against the police for the lathi-charge and for shutting the mosque from where the stone-throwing was reported.

Deputy commissioner Kumara and SP Mallikarjuna Baladandi camped in the town and held meetings with leaders of Hindu outfits, urging them to withdraw the protest.

Police personnel led by IGP Boralingaiah and SP took out a flag march in the town.

Thousands of people belonging to various Hindu outfits take out a protest march condemning the stone pelting incident in Maddur town on Monday.