Highlights
- 13 people were detained by the Gujarat Police after clashes broke out in Vadodara.
- The clashes broke out during a Ganesh Chaturthi procession in a sensitive area.
- People from two communities clashed and stone pelting was reported.
Gujarat communal clashes: At least 13 people were detained by the Gujarat Police after clashes broke out in Vadodara during a Ganesh Chaturthi procession on Monday night. A procession carrying an idol of Lord Ganesh was passing through a sensitive locality in Gujarat's Vadodara city when two communities clashed, said the police. Soon, stone pelting ensued, but no one was injured. An FIR was registered at Vadodara city police station against members of both the sides on charges of rioting and unlawful assembly, the police said.
The procession was passing through Panigate Darwaza in the communally sensitive Mandvi locality at around 11.15 pm, a city police official said. "People from the two communities started arguing with each other. The matter escalated with members from both the groups hurling stones at each other. In the process, a glass on the main gate of a mosque was damaged," the official said.
The FIR was registered under various Indian Penal Code Sections including 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 336 (rash act endangering human life or personal safety), 295 (defiling place of worship), the official said.
Police presence in the area was enhanced and patrolling was being carried out to maintain law and order, he said. Joint Commissioner of Police Chirag Koradia told reporters that the situation is under control and peaceful and the crime branch is carrying out an investigation into the incident. "The situation is peaceful and we appeal to people not to pay heed to any kind of rumour," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
