Minister Parameshwara says situation in Maddur under control after Ganesha procession clashes
Mandya(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said the situation in Maddur town is under control following the communal clashes that broke out during a Ganesha immersion procession on September 7.
Prohibitory orders were clamped and additional police forces deployed as tension gripped the town.
The clashes erupted on Sunday when stones were thrown at the Ganesha procession in Ram Rahim Nagar.
According to police, the stone-pelting, which began about 500 metres from a mosque, led to retaliation from members of the procession.
Police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse two clashing groups. Hindutva activists later staged protests, raising ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans, burning tyres, and waving saffron flags.
Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi said two FIRs have been registered, one was registered on its own and another based on a complaint by an injured person.
He said 21 people have been taken into custody and more arrests would follow.
“Everyone has been discharged. One person got four stitches, otherwise all are minor injuries. Section 144 has been imposed in the area to prevent further flare-ups,” the SP added.
Adding to the unrest, Hubballi also witnessed tension after miscreants allegedly hurled stones during a Ganesha procession on Saturday night. Police intervened to prevent the situation from escalating, while additional forces were stationed in sensitive areas of the city.
KSRP contingents have been deployed across Maddur, and senior officers are camping in the area to ensure peace, even as police across districts have been placed on alert in the wake of incidents reported from Maddur, Hubballi, and Shivamogga.
Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru that all the accused in the Maddur incident have been arrested.
“Regarding the situation in Maddur, all the accused have been arrested. There's no problem now. The immersion of Ganesha happened afterwards. Small incidents have taken place. At one place, a stabbing attempt was made for bringing a flag. At another place, people spat from the rooftop on small children of three years and four years age during the Ganapati procession. These type of incidents have happened. Everything is under control,” he said.
The state Home Minister urged people from both communities to cooperate to maintain peace and said the police had taken adequate steps.
“Lakhs of Ganapati idols were immersed across the state. Nowhere such commotion took place. When we were thinking that everything passed off peacefully, Maddur incident occurred. We will take action as per law,” he asserted.
On BJP’s allegation that the violence was a result of appeasement politics, Parameshwara remarked, “They will keep saying that. The police department has already taken all kinds of measures by deploying more forces in sensitive districts. We sent senior officers in those districts. We have clamped prohibitory orders. We will not let this escalate.”
Taking to X, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra launched a scathing attack on the state government, alleging that law and order collapsed under the Congress rule.
He claimed that Hindu festivals and processions were no longer safe in the state.
“During the Ganesh immersion processions, fanatical miscreants are forming gangs and pelting stones — such incidents have been reported from many parts of the state, including Mandya, Dharwad, Bagalkote, and Hubballi. Yesterday in Maddur, miscreants created a tense atmosphere by continuously hurling stones. In this stone-pelting, women and police personnel were seriously injured, which is extremely alarming, and BJP strongly condemns this,” Vijayendra said.
He further alleged that the Congress government’s bias and “soft approach” has emboldened miscreants.
Reports have also emerged from Sagar in Shivamogga district that the Ganapati idol was desecrated. Such outrageous acts in the name of minorities have instilled fear, especially among Hindu women, Vijayendra, who is Shikarupura MLA, alleged.
"This situation makes it appear as if the state is under a ‘Mughal-inspired’ rule. If the government does not act ruthlessly against fanatical wrongdoers, the people of the state themselves will teach the Congress government a fitting lesson,” Vijayendra warned.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
