Prohibitory orders in MP’s Khandwa after communal tension

Police said four police personnel including city superintendent of police Poonam Chand Yadav were injured during the clash in Khandwa district.

Published on: Feb 13, 2023, 21:59:07 IST

By Shruti Tomar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

BHOPAL: Prohibitory orders barring public gatherings have been issued in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa after a clash between two groups after an idol was installed in a house and a pooja organised, reportedly to celebrate the birth anniversary of a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

Khandwa superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Singh said the incident took place after one group attempted to perform religious rituals on a private property. “The house owner Sheikh Asgar, who purchased the house from Ganesh Jadhav a few weeks ago, reached there and opposed the pooja. Both the groups attacked each other… Four police personnel were injured”.

City superintendent of police Poonam Chand Yadav and three others were injured in the clash.

Police seized the idol and registered a first information report (FIR) against Ravi Awhade and Sheikh Asgar who allegedly led the two sides on charges of creating ruckus and rioting.

Congress corporator Nilofar Sharafat Khan accused Ravi Awhade of trying to incite trouble after his sister lost a local election.

“I became the corporator of Padamkund ward and Ravi Awhade is trying to create communal tension in the area. Ravi entered the locked house and placed idol to encroach the house,” she added, adding that her husband was also arrested by police.

Ravi Awhade was not available for comment.

District collector Anup Kumar Singh imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code.

In a second incident in Narmadapuram district, a church was vandalised and set on fire by unidentified miscreants. Narmadpuram SP Gurukaran Singh said, “In Chauki Pura village, a five –year-old church belonged to Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was set ablaze and people wrote Ram with an oil paint. This is the second incident in the past two months. Earlier, a church was set on fire in Sukhtawa block in January. Police are investigating the matter.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More