What began as a minor parking disagreement on Sunday night escalated into violence in Ashta in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district, leading to stone-pelting, vandalism and threats to raze a mosque, with police arresting four suspects.
According to police, the trouble started around 9 pm on Sunday near Alipur Chowk on the old Bhopal–Indore route under the Parvati police station limits. A senior police officer said a worker of the right-wing Karni Sena, returning from a programme in Harda, got into an argument with a local youth over a parking-related issue, which quickly drew crowds from both sides.
Within minutes, the verbal altercation turned violent. Stone-pelting broke out near Parvati Bridge in front of the rest house, and several vehicles were damaged in the chaos. The sudden outbreak of violence created panic among residents and commuters in the area.
In protest, Karni Sena workers blocked the busy Bhopal–Indore highway near the Chaupati area. The blockade caused massive traffic jams, with vehicles backed up from both the Harda and Kannauj directions.
The protesters staged sit-ins for two consecutive days, demanding action against those responsible for the attack and vandalism. Karni Sena members were also seen in videos issuing threats to demolish a local mosque if arrests did not take place.
After being alerted, police teams from Parvati and Ashta police stations rushed to the spot and resorted to firing tear gas shells and using mild force to disperse the aggressive crowds. Additional police forces from other stations across the district were deployed to prevent further escalation.
Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Akash Amalkar and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nitin Kumar Tale personally supervised the situation on the ground.
Police registered a case at Parvati police station and launched an immediate investigation. SDOP Amalkar said that, considering the gravity of the incident, police acted swiftly to identify the culprits using video footage collected from the scene and surrounding areas.
By Tuesday, four suspects were arrested in connection with the violence.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
