Khandwa Erupts in Violent Protests Over Controversial Social Media Post About Cleric
Tension erupted in Khandwa on Thursday night after a controversial social media post about a religious cleric triggered large-scale protests outside Moghat Road police station, leading to violent clashes and police intervention.
Police Registration and Arrests Fail to Quell Growing Unrest
Moghat police had already registered a case and arrested the accused individual who allegedly made the objectionable remark on social media. However, the situation escalated dramatically when members of the Muslim community gathered in large numbers outside the police station, demanding the arrested person be produced before them.
"A condemnable post about a religious cleric was made on social media, which triggered a large-scale protest outside Moghat police station on Thursday night," said Khandwa DIG Siddharth Bahuguna. "Moghat police had already registered a case against the accused and arrested him, but the protestors kept agitating and raising slogans."
Violent Confrontation and Police Lathi Charge
Police officers attempted to calm the agitated crowd and assured them that a case was already registered in connection with the social media post. During the confrontation, the situation quickly deteriorated as some protesters allegedly pushed police officers and even grabbed the collar of Moghat Road police station in-charge Dhiresh Dharwal.
The chaos forced police to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd and restore order in the area. Additional police forces were deployed to prevent the situation from escalating further, with authorities carrying out precautionary patrolling throughout the affected region.
Assault on Woman Amidst the Chaos
Amid the commotion, a disturbing incident occurred when a young woman present in the crowd was allegedly assaulted by several youths. Police reported that eight to ten men reportedly misbehaved with her, slapped her, and left her with injuries on her head and swelling on her face.
"They tried to stop the woman and assaulted her. On her complaint, a case was registered against the accused," DIG Bahuguna confirmed regarding the assault incident.
Multiple Cases Registered and Arrests Made
SP Manoj Rai provided details about the legal actions taken in response to the night's events. "Three different cases were registered," Rai explained. "In the first incident, a case was registered against Prabhakar Shinde for making an objectionable post on social media aimed at hurting religious sentiments."
The second case was registered against the group for rioting and deterring a public servant from discharging his duties, while the third case addressed the violence against the woman. Over twenty people are named across the three cases, with three individuals already arrested, produced before the court, and sent to jail.
Several additional people were detained during the police operation, with authorities continuing to verify the identities of those involved in the unrest. Police have appealed to residents not to pay attention to rumors and have assured that strict legal action will be taken against anyone found responsible for spreading provocative content or creating public disorder.
