Stone pelting at Ganesh procession in MP's Ratlam; security tightened

A procession carrying an idol of Lord Ganesh in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam faced stone-pelting following which heavy security was deployed at important places in the city, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in Mochipura area on Saturday night when some people were carrying the deity's idol for installation as part of the 10-day Ganesh festival.

Later, when police reached the spot, their vehicle was damaged in the subsequent stone-pelting, an official said.

The situation is currently under control, Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar Lodha told PTI.

He said that nearly 500 persons gheraoed the Station Road police station on Saturday night demanding action against an unidentified person who threw a stone at the Ganesh procession in Mochipura area.

Police registered a case against the unidentified person on a complaint and rushed to the spot for investigation. The crowd followed the police to the scene, the official said.

Someone threw a stone again and stone-pelting ensued in which a police vehicle's glass broke, he said.

Lodha said the police were forced to use canes to disperse the crowd from the spot.

Police from Jaora town in Ratlam and Dhar district have been called in and heavy security has been deployed around the city, he said.

The situation is under control, he added.