Maddur Ganesha immersion passes off peacefully; 108 idols taken out amid heavy security

The mass Ganesha idol immersion procession in Maddur town passed off peacefully on Wednesday, with 108 idols carried through Pete Street under heavy police deployment.

Participants raised slogans and danced along the route as the procession wound through the town. Additional Superintendent of Police (in-charge) for Mandya district, L. Nagesh, said no crackers were burst in front of the mosque, though crackers were burst at other points along the procession route.

The event was held a year after the same procession in Maddur turned violent following the alleged pelting of stones at participants. Mr. Nagesh said this year's procession had concluded without incident, crediting the cooperation of the town's residents. Superintendent of Mandya district police Shobharani was present and supervised the security arrangements.

Several BJP leaders took part in the procession, among them Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and BJP MLC C.T. Ravi.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mr. Ashok criticised the Congress government in Karnataka over what he described as restrictions on the celebration of the Ganesha festival. He said the police inspector in T. Narsipur had spoken rudely to youths who were planning a procession for the immersion of Ganesha idols, and alleged that the government had imposed more curbs on Ganeshotsava than the British had.

"This cannot be called Hindus' Ganeshotsava. It has to be called police Ganeshotsava," he said, asking why, in his view, the police were threatening only Hindus and not issuing similar warnings to Muslims. He also accused the Congress government of failing to enforce court orders on the use of loudspeakers for azan from mosques.