Six police personnel, including the Mahanga inspector-in-charge, were injured when stones were allegedly pelted at them during a Ganesh idol immersion procession in Baradia village under Mahanga police station in Kataka district late on Wednesday night.
The clash erupted after police objected to the use of a high-volume sound system past 10 pm, officials said. Villagers taking part in the immersion reportedly turned on the police party, hurling stones that left the IIC and five other personnel hurt and damaged two police vehicles.
Mahanga IIC Jugal Kishore Das sustained a head injury after a stone struck him. The other injured officers were shifted for treatment. Tension gripped Baradia following the attack, with shattered glass and dented vehicles marking the scene where the procession had been moving through the village.
Police said the objection was raised because the sound system continued well beyond the permitted hour. What began as an argument over noise levels quickly escalated into stone-pelting, forcing the officers to take cover. Two police vehicles were left badly damaged in the assault.
A case has been registered. Four people have been arrested so far in connection with the attack, and investigators indicated that the number of arrests could rise as identification of others involved continues. Additional force has been deployed in the area to prevent any further unrest.
Local residents described a sudden flare-up during the immersion. Police maintained that the action was taken only after repeated requests to lower the volume went unheeded. The incident has drawn attention to enforcement of sound restrictions during festival processions in the district.
