Tension broke out on Sunday in Kingaon village in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district during preparations for a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march on Dussehra after some residents objected to the proposed procession passing in front of a mosque.
The situation escalated when Muslim women staged a protest on the road outside the mosque. Stone-pelting was subsequently reported between two groups, prompting police to intervene and resort to a mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police Shreekant Dhivare, Additional Superintendent of Police Sandeep Gavit and Divisional Police Officer Anil Badgujar, reached the spot as tensions mounted.
Speaking about the incident, SP Shreekant Dhivare said the situation had returned to normal and that a large police force remained deployed in Kingaon to maintain law and order.
Dhivare said the RSS route march had been scheduled for the day, but a group opposed the procession. He added that police personnel had spent around two to two-and-a-half hours trying to persuade the protesters to allow the march to proceed.
According to the SP, the procession had been granted permission in accordance with the law, and no group could prevent it from following an authorised route.
Police eventually resorted to a mild lathicharge, after which the route march concluded peacefully, Dhivare said.
He also confirmed that police had arrested several people whom he described as anti-social elements. Further details about the arrests were not immediately available.
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