Madhya Pradesh: Ratlam SSP transferred over Ganesh Chaturthi clash

Ratlam senior superintendent of police Rahul Kumar Lodha was transferred overnight on 10 September and has been posted as superintendent of police of Bhopal GRP.

Lodha's transfer came four hours after a memorandum was submitted by the 'Samastha Hindu Samaj, Ratlam' [whole Hindu community of Ratlam] to Ratlam collector Rajesh Batham.

Per the memorandum, SSP Lodha's allegation that a stone was thrown at him during a Ganesh Chaturthi procession on 7 September was found to be only a 'rumour' after investigation.

The memorandum also alleged that the police lathi-charged and used tear gas shells on the Hindu community protesters, injuring several people and killing one Prakash Meda.

It was also alleged in this memorandum that despite having CCTV footage, the administration did not take any action against the stone-pelting Muslims.

What actually happened here?

On the evening of 7 September, a mob of over 500 members of the Hindu community gheraoed the Station Road police station, alleging that a stone was thrown at the idol during a Ganesh procession passing through the Muslim-dominated Mochipura area. (There was no damage to the idol noted.)

According to the police, the mob demanded registration of an FIR. In view of the nearly hour-long protest, provocative slogans and a growing crowd, police registered a case against an unidentified person on the complaint of one Lakhan Rajwania.

After registering the case, when the police reached Mochipura, the crowd followed behind and started raising provocative slogans.

When the police tried to persuade them to desist and disperse, some people in the crowd became furious and attacked the police.

Several police vehicles were also damaged in the attack. In response, police resorted to lathi charge and used tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

The mob entered Muslim-dominated areas and damaged bikes and shops and allegedly pelted stones. It happened around 12 a.m..

A day after the incident, on 9 September, SSP Lodha told the media at a press conference that a person named Lakhan Rajwania had spread rumours of stone-pelting and a case has been registered against him. Rajwania, it turns out, is a 'history-sheeter' criminal with links to several 'organisations'.

"No statue was damaged in any way,” reiterated Lodha. “Photographs, videographs are there and police personnel have personally gone and checked.”

“We are trying to find out if any stone pelting took place and if anyone was injured as a result and, if it is proved, necessary action will be taken,” he added.

Lodha appealed to the people and to the media not to set store in any rumour-mongering or in posts circulated on social media and refrain from actions that might disturb peace and harmony in the district.

On 8 September, the Ratlam police booked 13 people — Kajal Kinnar, Ravi Verma, Mahendra Solanki, Jalaj Sankhla, Ravi Soni, Vijay Prajapati, Nitesh, Mukesh Banjara, Mathan Musale, Aman Jain, Jaideep Gurjar and Ajju Bardunde — under sections 189(1), 189(2), 190 [common purpose], 191(1) [rioting] and 191(3) [assault with deadly weapons while rioting] of the Indian Penal Code.

A case was also registered under Section 57 for affixing placards attacking members of a specific sect of people, selecting a place and time to incite said community, under Section 324(5) for causing damage to the tune of Rs 1 lakh or more, and under Section 296 for obscene acts and songs performed in a public place.

The police had also registered an FIR on the basis of a complaint by one Shakhir Khan, who alleged that on 7 September at around 11:15 p.m., the accused mentioned in the FIR came with at the local Muslims with sticks, shouting abuse and urging a mob to drag them out of the house, beat them up and damage their vehicles.

The complainant alleged in the FIR: ‘The accused damaged my pick-up tempo, auto and motorcycles of other people in the neighbourhood before the police could disperse them.’

Apart from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, similar incidents of 'disturbance of the peace' occurred in Gujarat, Karnataka and other states during the Ganesh festival too. Yet, due to the prompt efforts of the local police, there was no actual religious violence in Ratlam.

However, in their application to the Ratlam collector, Rajesh Batham, on 10 September — two days after the incident — representatives of the Hindu community alleged that despite their complaints of stone-pelting on the Ganesh procession, the police did not take action against the stone-pelters.

The community representatives demanded an independent inquiry and action within 24 hours, failing which they will hold protests that will continue until action is taken.

The complainants further alleged that the police registered an FIR of stone-pelting against unidentified persons only after members of the Hindu community gathered at the police station in large numbers.

These ‘people of the Hindu community‘ further claimed that when they were proceeding again towards the Ganesh pandal on the advice of the police, the police suddenly lathi-charged them and treated them inhumanely.

“Despite this, no case was registered against any member of the Muslim community.” — this was the crux of the argument.

The Sarv Hindu Samaj [whole Hindu community] then demanded an independent probe into the incident, and action against the police personnel who beat and dragged members of the Hindu community from the Ganesh pandal.

The police officers must be held responsible for the death of 19-year-old Prakash Meda, they added, and claimed compensation on behalf of Meda’s family and the various individuals injured in the lathi-charge.

In their application to the district collector, these representatives of the Hindu Samaj also alleged that the police had denied that there was any pelting of stones at the Ganesh procession despite videos being available, recording the events all the way to the youth's death.

It was in response to this that Rahul Lodha released a video, stating that Prakash was admitted to Jeevansh Hospital at 4 a.m. on 9 September and was taken to Ayushman Hospital thereafter, where he died.

“No injury or injury marks were found on his body,” the police officer said.

Had the case been otherwise, he added, that information would have been reflected in the police reports.

“Apart from this, if any [new] facts come up, we will investigate it,” he said, and concluded with a general appeal to celebrate the upcoming festival in a peaceful manner.

Lodha was transferred within four hours of this memorandum.

Even after the transfer, on 11 September, Hindu organisations took out a rally in Ratlam city, demonstrating against the police. Many shops remained closed for fear of further violence.

This is not the first time that Rahul Kumar Lodha had prevented an escalation of vociferous dissatisfaction that could have become an out-and-out riot.

In the year 2 May 2022, there was news of three Hindu idols having been broken a day before Eid in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh. That year, Parashuram Jayanti and Chand Raat fell on the same day; there was a crowd of about 1 lakh in the city.

In the midst of this, Lodha identified Satish Chauhan (28) as the person who had defaced the three idols, registered an FIR under Section 295A of the IPC and arrested him.