During the Ganesh festival being celebrated across the country, someone threw a stone at the Ganesh idol in Mochipura, Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. This led to a massive protest. On Saturday (7th September) night, more than 500 people surrounded the Station Road police station and raised slogans against the stone pelting. The police first tried to calm them down, and later registered an FIR against unknown persons.
After registering the FIR, the police went to the spot for investigation. The protesting crowd also reached there. SP Rahul Kumar Lodha explained to the crowd and asked people to return to their homes. Meanwhile, someone again threw a stone. In response, people also threw stones.
A stone also hit a police vehicle, breaking its glass. The police sprung into action to prevent the situation from worsening. The police used mild force to disperse the crowd. At present, police force has been deployed in Ratlam to prevent any untoward incident. Two contingents of security forces have also been called.
It has been said in the FIR that on Saturday night, around 8.30 pm, people of the Puja committee were carrying the idol from Khetalpur to Mehndikui Balaji via Hathikhan Mochipura for the installation of Ganesh Ji. Women and children were also present in this procession. As soon as they reached Mochipura on Hathikhan Road, someone threw a stone at the idol.
City SP Abhinav Barange said, “Some of the people involved in the procession also say that stones were thrown at them. To verify this, the person who said that stones were thrown was sent to the CCTV control room. At present, a case has been registered. The situation is currently under control.”
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which is a part of the protest, says that a conspiracy was hatched before the festival. They said that efforts are being made to stop the programs of the Hindu community in ‘Muslim areas’. They said that some fundamentalists have pelted stones in Mochipura.
