Latur, Sep 24 (PTI) Police have registered a case against a local BJP functionary and 13 others for allegedly obstructing on-duty security personnel, and blocking a national highway during a Ganesh immersion procession in Maharashtra’s Latur district, officials said on Thursday.
The accused, office-bearers of a local Ganesh mandal, allegedly defied instructions from police to switch off the DJ system and complete the immersion within the stipulated time on Tuesday in Digol village of Shirur Anantpal tehsil, they said.
A home guard on bandobast duty alerted senior police officials that the DJ was blaring at high volume and that the mandal was deliberately delaying the immersion.
Senior police officials then rushed to the spot.
Despite being repeatedly asked to shut down the DJ and proceed with the immersion, the mandal members and participants ignored the instructions, got into an argument with police, and allegedly manhandled and hurled abuses at them, an official said.
The situation escalated when BJP tehsil president Madhav Biradar allegedly summoned women from the village and led a mob to block the Latur-Udgir National Highway No. 63, bringing traffic to a standstill. Vehicles were also parked in front of and behind a police vehicle, obstructing its movement, he said.
The protesters raised slogans, provoked onlookers, continued the procession beyond the permitted time, and threatened policemen to deter them from discharging their duties, despite repeated appeals to clear the road, the official said.
A case has been registered against the BJP functionary, Ganesh mandal officials and other persons under relevant legal provisions, the police added.
(PTI News)
