Communal tensions surged in Karnataka’s Mandya district on Wednesday following clashes between two groups during the Ganpati procession, according to reports. The incident reportedly occurred in Nagamangala town when devotees from Badarikoppalu were taking Ganesh idols for immersion.

As their procession proceeded along the main road, stones were thrown at them, allegedly from near a mosque.

The Hindu group then placed the Ganesh idol in front of the police station and staged a protest demanding justice. A group also set fire to several shops and burned tyres, escalating the situation further, according to Deccan Herald.

Videos shared on social media showed the two groups throwing stones at each other.

The police rushed to calm the crowd and manage the situation. A high alert was declared in the area, and Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which dealt with urgent cases of nuisance or impending danger, was imposed to control the unrest.

The Times of India reported that the Ganesh idols have been temporarily relocated near a temple while devotees call for the arrest of those who disrupted the procession.

Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said that the situation is under control. As many as 52 people have been arrested in connection with the clash.

“During the Ganesh procession, somebody pelted stones on the procession, people retaliated similarly. Now, everything is under control. We have arrested about 52 persons from both the sides, they lit fire and all that… all that has been controlled. Nothing to worry now, senior officers are camping there. We have sent additional force,” he said.

This unrest in Karnataka follows the arrest of six minors in Surat, Gujarat, who were accused of throwing stones at a Ganesh pandal, leading to similar clashes.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy condemned the violence in Nagamangala and blamed the ruling Congress government, alleging that the incident happened because of the “appeasement of one community” by the Congress.

“I strongly condemn the incident that took place during the Ganesha immersion procession in Nagamangala, Mandya district. It is a failure of peace and order in the town that the miscreants of a community deliberately indulged in violence by targeting the devotees, who were walking peacefully in the procession of God Ganapati, throwing stones and slippers at the public and policemen, exploding petrol bombs and brandishing swords, ” the former Karnataka chief minister, who is now the Mandya MP, wrote on X.