The Karnataka Police on Friday registered 10 FIRs in connection with the violence that erupted during the Ganesh Visarjan procession in Nagamangala town, Mandya district. Authorities have launched a manhunt for 94 accused individuals who have gone into hiding following police action.
With several arrests made on Friday, the total number of people detained so far has risen to 56.
In a related development, Police Inspector Ashok Kumar was suspended on Friday for dereliction of duty. He reportedly failed to inform his superiors about a similar incident of unrest during last year’s Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations. Mandya Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjun Baladandi explained that the area near the mosque in Badarikoppalu village is a sensitive location, where additional security could have been deployed to prevent the violence.
Police sources revealed that a total of 150 individuals have been booked for rioting and related violence. Investigators have obtained CCTV footage of the accused who are currently on the run and are working to confirm their identities and locations.
The FIRs have been filed under 16 sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 109 (abetment), 115 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 118 (concealing design to commit an offence), 121 (waging war against the state), 132 (abetting mutiny), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 190 (threatening another to file false charge), and others under the BNSS (Bombay Public Security Measures Act).
Among those arrested, 52 suspects were presented in court on Thursday evening, and the Mandya District Court has remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.
Though Nagamangala town has gradually returned to normalcy under prohibitory orders, local residents report that the atmosphere remains tense. A curfew has been imposed in the town until Saturday, September 14.
In response to the situation, the police conducted a flag march through Nagamangala and deployed additional personnel to maintain law and order.
The clashes broke out on Wednesday night in Mandya district after stones were allegedly thrown at a Ganpati idol immersion procession in Nagamangala. In the riots that followed, approximately 25 shops and vehicles from both communities were set on fire.
In the aftermath, police imposed restrictive orders in the area and remain on high alert. Following the incident, some members of the Hindu community staged a protest outside the local police station, demanding the immediate arrest of those involved in the stone-pelting.
