Ram temple consecration: Stone pelting on procession in Thane district hours after groups clash

Thane: A procession taken out in Thane district on the occasion of the Ram temple idol consecration in Ayodhya was pelted with stones by miscreants on Monday evening, police officials said, in second incident of violence in the district in less than 24 hours.

An unspecified number of procession participants and policemen providing security to the march were injured in the stone attack in the Mira Road area, they said, hours after a clash broke out between members of two communities during a vehicle rally in Thane district at around 10:30 pm on Sunday.

An official at the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police said the stone pelting was reported from Naya Nagar police station limits, where the group clash took place during a rally comprising cars and other vehicles and taken out on the eve of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

The trigger for the stone pelting incident was not yet known, he said, adding further details were awaited.

The police were maintaining a strict vigil after the Sunday's clash in the in Naya Nagar area, located on Mumbai's outskirts, said the official.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said 13 persons were detained in connection with the group clash.