Nashik: Police used a mild lathi-charge to disperse protesters blocking a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march in Kingaon village of Yawal taluka in Jalgaon district on Sunday morning.
Additional SP Sandeep Gavit said, “Around 20 miscreants have been detained in connection with the rioting. Yawal Police confirmed that they are in the process of registering a formal case regarding the incident.
The organisers had obtained prior permission for the march, according to police. Superintendent of police Shrikant Dhivare told reporters that officers tried to persuade the protesters for more than two hours, explaining that the organisers had valid permission. “However, when the protesters refused to yield, we had to resort to a mild lathi-charge,” he said. A senior officer from Yawal police station said four to five police personnel suffered minor injuries and a police van window was shattered. “The incident was not large-scale rioting,” he added. Reacting to the incident, state cabinet minister Girish Mahajan said, “No group or individual should oppose traditional programmes conducted with proper authorization, regardless of the organization involved.
However, men and women from the community gathered along the route to stop the procession, arguing that allowing it to pass through the stretch would set an unwanted precedent. Police personnel were already deployed at the spot, and senior officers rushed there to resolve the standoff. The march proceeded along its designated route after police intervention, despite isolated stone-pelting by members of the crowd. A heavy police bandobast,including squads from the Riot Control Police (RCP), the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), and additional force from across the district, has been deployed to maintain peace. He added that strict legal action would be taken against anyone disrupting law and order.