A woman went missing amid violence that emerged during the Ram Navami celebrations in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh on 10th April 2022. A top police official said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to trace the woman. The woman’s family members said that the children had gone to see the Ram Navami procession. On hearing about stone-pelting and violence in the procession, the woman left the house in search of the children but later did not return.
The woman’s brother-in-law Pawan Kumar Saronia said, “Even after six days, my younger brother Dharmendra’s wife has not been traced. There is a curfew and we are disturbed. On Ram Navami, my two sons and Dharmendra’s son had gone to Jawahar Marg in the Sarafa area. As soon as the news of the violence came, she went out to bring the children back safely.”
Saronia said that the children later returned home but the woman is still missing. He said the family searched for her and also approached the police, but the police said that it was not the right time to search for her and the family should wait. He said Dharmendra Saronia has left for Gwalior in search of his wife. Some members of the family have approached the local unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for help.
Pavan Kumar Saronia said that the children in the house are crying since their mother went missing. Superintendent of Police in-charge Rohit Kashwani said, “A Special Investigation Team has been formed to trace the woman. Hopefully, we’ll know something about the woman soon.”
The Khargone Riots
On April 10, a Ram Navami procession that began in the Talab Chowk area of Khargone had to be abandoned midway after it came under a volley of stones. Riots escalated as several vehicles were set on fire. The cops resorted to firing tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. During the orgy of violence, a total of 24 people were injured, including six police personnel.
The day after the riots, the Khargone administration took strict action against the miscreants who had pelted stones at the Ram Navami procession. The illegally constructed buildings were bulldozed by the administration. Five JCB machines were deployed for the task. According to the reports, 77 people have been arrested and the city of Khargone continues to be under curfew.
