Several persons were injured when miscreants pelted stones on a vehicle rally taken out near here on Tuesday to raise awareness on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said.
Indore Collector Manish Singh said five persons were detained in connection with the incident which took place at Chaandankhedi village, about 50km from the district headquarters, when the rally was passing through a communally sensitive area. Heavy police force was deployed in the village after the incident.
The rally, taken out to create awareness on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, comprised a truck and motorbikes. "Five persons suffered minor injuries in the stone pelting incident. We are probing the matter, Singh told PTI.
He said so far five persons have been taken into custody by the police. "We are trying to identify those involved in the stone pelting incident(they wanted) to disrupt communal harmony," he said. They will be arrested under the NSA (National Security Act) and sent to jail, he said.
Indore DIG Harinarayanchari Mishra said the situation was tense, but under control. Additional police force has been rushed to the village and those responsible for the violence are being identified, he added.
One of the injured persons, Bheru Chaudhary, said some of the associates who took part in the rally also used stones to shield the injured persons.
A few days ago, a similar procession was attacked in Ujjain. Some locals atop a house had pelted stones at the rally. Later, the administration had razed down the structure that it said was built illegally.
(With inputs from PTI)