3 more held over clashes between 2 groups during Ganesh idol procession in Mandya
Nagamangala (PTI): Three more people have been held in connection with the clashes that broke out between two groups during a Lord Ganesh idol procession, police said on Friday.
The situation in Nagamangala town in Mandya district has returned to normal two days after the clashes on Wednesday following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension.
Though the situation remains peaceful in the town, additional police forces have been deployed and prohibitory orders preventing the assembly of more than four people have been imposed in the area till September 14 as a precautionary measure.
With the fresh arrests, the total number of people held in the case now stands at 55.
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A team of experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory also visited the spot on Thursday to collect evidence.
"The situation is peaceful here and besides the 52 people already arrested, we have secured three more people in connection with the incident. We have additional police forces deployed and prohibitory orders will be in place till September 14," Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baldandi told PTI.
A case has been registered for unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, obstructing public servants, destruction of public property and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A few people, including two policemen, sustained minor injuries in stone-pelting.
The situation has been brought under control and additional security forces have been deployed, police said.
According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship on Wednesday, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation. Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and goods torched and vehicles set on fire on Wednesday night, they added.
Police used mild force to disperse the crowd to control the situation.
The group of youth that carried out the procession halted and staged a protest near the police station, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the violence.
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Railway lines as fence could cut cost of barricading to curb man-elephant conflicts: MP Wadiyar
Bengaluru, Sept 17: MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has suggested that to bring down the exorbitant cost barricading – estimated to cost around Rs 1.3 to Rs 1.5 crore per kilometre – railway lines could be used to construct fences on Tuesday.
Wadiyar took to X to share the letter he had sent to Union Environment Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
Stating that “railway (lines) barricading” is proving to be an effective way to restrict the movement of elephants, he suggested that this should be taken up on a large scale.
“Upon consultation with the relevant authorities, it has come to my understanding that the cost of barricading per kilometre comes to Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 1.5 crore. Given that the border of the forests in my constituency stretches to over 400 km, with around 280 km of forest border requiring immediate barricading, the cost of such an exercise will reach Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore,” he wrote in his letter.
He said the environment ministry could make a direct request with the railway ministry for an allocation of railway lines, thus reducing the cost of the project to just that of labour cost.
“The benefits of this initiative are manifold, from reduction of human casualties, protection of property and livelihood, to conservation of elephants and, most importantly, promoting human-elephant coexistence, which is the need of the hour,” he added.
Working towards safer coexistence in Mysore-Kodagu! Submitted proposal to Union Environment Forest & Climate change Minister Shri Bhupendra Yadav Ji for railway barricading to reduce elephant-human conflicts. pic.twitter.com/VjOWIF1TTC
— Yaduveer Wadiyar (@yaduveerwadiyar) September 17, 2024
