Ashish Pandey 
Mhow/Indore:
Clashes broke out in the Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district on Sunday after a rally celebrating the Indian cricket team’s ICC Champions Trophy final victory was allegedly pelted with stones, locals said.
Mhow is located about 25 kilometres from the Indore district headquarters.
Indore collector Ashish Singh, when asked, said the situation was under control and forces had been deployed in the area.
“How it happened will be ascertained later. As of now, the situation is under control,” he said.
A police official said there was a dispute between two parties during the celebratory rally.
The dispute led to stone pelting and arson, the official added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Nimish Agarwal told PTI, “A rally was being taken out in Mhow to celebrate India’s Champions Trophy victory.” During this, some people had an altercation that escalated into the two parties pelting each other with stones, he added.
Incidents of arson also took place and, according to initial information, some vehicles were damaged.
The clashes sparked panic in multiple areas of the town, the locals said.
A group of young cricket enthusiasts had organised a rally to celebrate India’s final victory against New Zealand.
However, as they approached the Jama Masjid area, a large group of individuals allegedly began hurling stones at them, leading to chaos and forcing them to abandon their motorcycles and flee, the locals said.
In the aftermath, some people set fire to a number of the abandoned motorcycles, further escalating tensions, they said.
Local authorities acted swiftly to bring the situation under control.
Police sources said Superintendent of Police (Indore Rural) Hitika Wasal reached Mhow to assess the circumstances firsthand and take necessary measures to restore law and order.
Personnel have been deployed in the affected areas to prevent further violence, the sources said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Agarwal said forces reached the spot after receiving information about the clashes and brought the situation under control.
“A police force has been stationed there. There is no information of any casualties,” he added. PTI COR HWP MAS SZM SZM
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Neetu