Situation tense but under control after stone pelting on Om Shakti procession

The situation in Jagjeevan Ram Nagar of Bengaluru, Karnataka remained tense but under control on Monday following a stone-pelting incident targeting an Om Shakti devotees’ procession, police said. Additional police forces were deployed in the locality to prevent any retaliatory action and to maintain law and order. Senior police officers have camped in the area and initiated an investigation to identify those involved.

The incident occurred on Sunday night between 8.15 pm and 9.00 pm when devotees were taking out a religious procession. According to the complaint, three to four youths allegedly pelted stones at the procession, injuring two women devotees. One of them sustained a serious head injury and suffered bleeding wounds, after which she was admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

Following the attack, residents staged a demonstration at the JJ Nagar police station, demanding immediate and strict action against the culprits. Police officials said the protest remained peaceful but acknowledged heightened tensions in the area after the incident.

A First Information Report was registered late Sunday night based on a complaint filed by Shashikumar N, a resident of VS Garden. In his complaint, he stated that he has been participating in Om Shakti and Ayyappa Swamy worship for the past 23 years, wearing the Om Shakti garland and carrying the Irumudi as part of the ritual.

The complaint further alleged that similar incidents had occurred earlier, claiming that miscreants had set fire during religious observances on two or three previous occasions. It also pointed to a significant Dalit population in the locality and alleged instances of atrocities, terming the latest incident an attack on religious sentiments and an act of intimidation. Om Shakti and Ayyappa Swamy devotees have jointly demanded strict legal action.