Nagamangala incident happened "on spur of moment", not communal violence: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the clashes between two groups during Ganesha idol immersion procession in Nagamangala town in Mandya district cannot be termed as "communal violence" as he maintained that the incident happened on the "spur of the moment".
He said 52 people have been arrested from "both sides", and after reviewing CCTV footage about their involvement in the incidents like stone-pelting and torching of vehicles and properties, cases will be registered against them.
"Yesterday's incident shouldn't have happened. What began as a small incident...it has ended. No major injuries or fights have happened. Police have taken the situation under control. When the procession was on, stones were pelted, it led to some clashes. After that when everything appeared to have been solved and people were dispersing, some torched bikes and shops, and subsequently (police) brought the situation under control," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said no loss of life or any "major problem" has been reported; the Superintendent of Police and Inspector General are at the spot, while a Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoon has been deployed.
"I had sent the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, he too had visited and is camping at the spot. Everything is under control and there are no further incidents," he added.
Asked whether it was communal violence, the Minister said: "accidentally while the procession was going there someone pelted stones, to which these people have also responded by pelting stones and it led to clashes. It cannot be called communal violence."
When told that a petrol bomb was allegedly hurled and and asked whether the incident was pre-planned, he said: "no, no, it (the incident) has happened immediately on the spur of the moment. Police have not allowed it to escalate further and have brought things under control. I appeal to the media not to publicise it more."
"I'm not saying that the incident has not happened. The incident has happened, we have brought the situation under control, to ensure that it should not escalate further, the force has been placed on the spot, also senior police officers are there..." he said in response to a question.
To allegations of lapses on part of the police as precautionary measures were allegedly not taken despite similar incidents taking place last year too, Parameshwara said a KSRP platoon was stationed at the spot, which helped in bringing the situation under control. "If not, there could have been bigger violence."
Noting that stones were pelted on police too, the Minister said an Assistant Sub-Inspector was injured and, taking "all those into consideration", cases will be registered.
He said prima facie there seems to be no political instigation behind the incident. "Let's see what comes from the probe report."
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
