Communal tension arose in Pedana town, Krishna District, on Sunday night when a mob of Islamists attempted to attack the Shivalayam temple during the Vinayak Chavithi celebrations.
Local Hindus resisted the stone-pelting aimed at the temple, preventing further damage. The situation intensified as the mob clashed with the police, who were assaulted while trying to control the violence.
The violence started late on the night of September 15 during Vinayak Chavithi celebrations when around 10 individuals, including two Muslim youths., Arif and Chotu, attempted to tie bannes and flexes at the entrance of the Shivalayam temple and the nearby Ganesh Pandal at Jagapathi Theatre in Pedana.
Local Hindus objected, leading to a heated argument. The Muslims initially retreated, but to the Hindu’s surprise, they returned with around 300 Muslim youths at 2 AM, many arriving on bikes from nearby Machilipatnam. The mob pelted stones for nearly two hours while chanting slogans such as ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘Nara-e-Takbeer’. The intensity of the attack overwhelmed the local police, forcing them to seek refuge inside the Ganesh Pandal.
Muslim crowd had gathered from Pedana and nearby areas, including Gudur, Bantimally and Machilipatnam. However, what remains alarming is how quickly around 300 individuals were able to mobilize and converge on Pedana that same night, seemingly prepared to escalate the situation further.
Hindu residents reacted swiftly, pushing back against the Muslim group’s attempts to spread the unrest to other areas. The atmosphere remained extremely tense for nearly three hours. Around 400 Hindus, including 100 women, led the Ganesh Visarjan procession the following morning under police protection.
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