Lathi-charge after stone-pelting in Bhiwandi during Ganesha visarjan

Thane: There were an incident of stone-pelting followed by police lathi-charge during the Ganesh immersion procession in Bhiwandi on Tuesday.Tension escalated when the message spread that someone had pelted stones at the procession, following which an altercation ensued between two groups of youths from different communities, resulting in clashes, said joint commissioner of police Dyaneshwar Chavan.As the situation intensified, the crowd at Vanzarpatti Naka swelled, prompting the police to step in and resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. "Police officials were deployed to defuse the tension and maintain order. Offences are being registered against those involved, and we are taking firm action against the miscreants," Chavan said.The police picked up some suspects for interrogation. Additional police units, including from the State Reserve Police Force, were deployed. Several people were detained for questioning, including some known troublemakers who were there during the procession. While a few injuries were reported among the police and participants, details regarding the extent of injuries are still being compiled, said an official.In a related development, the AIMIM decided to hold protests on Monday following some incidents of stone-pelting during Ganpati immersion on Thursday in Murud, Raigad district.