Shobha Karandlaje demands inquiry into Nagamangala clashes

Bengaluru: Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday demanded an inquiry into the clashes between two groups during a Ganesh idol procession at Nagamangala town in Mandya district as she charged the Congress government with indulging in “appeasement politics.”She alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress are trying to “conspire against Hindus.”

“In yesterday’s incident in Nagamangala, Hindus were insulted, our Ganapati was insulted. stones were pelted, slippers were thrown. Shops were set ablaze, even then the state government is saying this is a small incident,” Karandlaje said. She demanded an immediate inquiry into the clashes and said NIA should also be involved in the probe. “Only then we will know the truth,” the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment added.

According to police, an argument broke out between two groups when the idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship and some miscreants threw stones. Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised, goods torched and vehicles set on fire on Wednesday night, they added.The situation is now under control and additional police forces have also been deployed in the town, police said. Prohibitory orders have also been clamped in the town till September 14 as a precautionary measure, police said, adding, 52 people have been arrested in connection with the incidents.