Tension gripped Rajpur town in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district after a seemingly innocuous dispute among children over kite flying spiraled into a violent clash involving stone-pelting between two groups, forcing the police to deploy additional forces to control the situation.
How a Children's Argument Sparked Violence
The incident originated on Saturday evening when children from two different communities got into a heated argument while flying kites. According to Barwani Superintendent of Police Jagdish Dabar, the verbal spat quickly turned physical, with one group assaulting members of the other. Following a complaint from one side, the police registered a case against three individuals from the opposing group and took one accused into custody.
Night Escalation and Widespread Stone-Pelting
The situation took a far more serious turn later that night. Allegedly, members of one group entered the locality of the other and began pelting stones heavily. The targeted group retaliated in kind, leading to a dangerous escalation that spread panic throughout the area. The violence also affected a local fair being held nearby, where the sound of stone-pelting triggered a brief stampede as people scrambled for safety.
Superintendent of Police Jagdish Dabar confirmed that several people sustained injuries in the melee and three vehicles were damaged during the stone-pelting. He, however, assured that there was no loss of life or report of any serious injury.
Police Response and Cases Registered
In response to the deteriorating law and order, police personnel from various stations were rushed to Rajpur. Additional Superintendent of Police Dheeraj Babbar provided further details, stating that based on another complaint from one side, a separate case was registered against 42 named individuals. The charges included sections related to assault, stone-pelting, and rioting. Babbar added that the other party had not yet filed a formal complaint.
As a strong precautionary measure, additional police forces remain deployed in Rajpur town. The police authorities have stated that the situation is now under control and they are closely monitoring the area to prevent any further untoward incidents.
