10 houses burnt, many hurt in Madhya Pradesh city; curfew imposed

According to sources, the clash broke out near Talab Chowk mosque when some people opposed the provocative songs being played during the procession.

Congress MLA Ravi Joshi seen visitng the site of communal clashes. (Twitter/@scribbly_scribe)

3 min readBhopalApr 11, 2022 10:55 AM IST First published on: Apr 11, 2022 at 03:53 AM IST

AT LEAST 10 houses were set ablaze and more than two dozen people, including Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Choudhary, were injured in clashes that erupted during Ram Navami procession in various areas of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, forcing the administration to impose curfew in some pockets of the city.

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According to Khargone District Collector Anugraha P, the first incident of stone pelting was reported around 5 pm, when the Ram Navami procession set out from Talab Chowk locality and had barely moved about 500 metres. The police resorted to lathi charge and fired teargas shells to control the situation.

Also Read | Himmatnagar, Khambhat: One dead as groups clash during religious processions, say police

According to sources, the clash broke out near Talab Chowk mosque when some people opposed the provocative songs being played during the procession. Videos of the incident showed a mob pelting stones at the mosque and homes close to it. The police are seen disbursing the mob.

When the incident broke out, BJP leader Kapil Mishra was also in Khargone to attend the Shriram Janmotsav Shobha Yatra procession. Sharing photos on Twitter, he wrote, “Na Musa na Burhan, Bas Jai Shree Ram. Hamari Ram Navami yatra Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, me shuru.”

कसाब को हिन्दू बताने वाला फिर झूठ फैलाने लगा

मैं जहां था वहां कोई दँगा नहीं हुआ

और हाँ जांच हुई तो हर दंगे में किसी जिहादी और उसके पीछे छुपा कोई कांग्रेसी ही सामने आएगा

खरगौन में जिहादियों ने पथराव किए और आगजनी की

दिग्विजय जैसे लोग उन्हें बचाने के लिए झूठ फैलाने लगे https://t.co/vcz6YM88Pz

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) April 11, 2022

The Collector said the Talab Chowk clash led to clashes in Qazipura and other parts of the city and several vehicles were torched. Close to 60 km away from Khargone city, similar clashes and stone pelting took place in communally sensitive Sedhwa block of adjoining Barwani district.

Confirming the injury to the SP, Collector Anugraha P said, “He sustained injury to his leg… it is yet to be ascertained if it is a bullet injury.” Khargone Congress MLA Ravi Joshi, who visited the spot Sunday night, told The Indian Express, “The incident happened owing to gross mishandling by the police. It was such a huge event but there were hardly any police personnel at the spot. I have asked the Collector to ensure there is peace. What exactly caused the incident is not immediately clear.”