Stone pelting during religious procession in JJ Nagar leaves woman critically injured, tension grips area

Bengaluru: Tension prevailed in JJ Nagar on Sunday night after miscreants allegedly pelted stones at devotees participating in a religious procession near the Om Shakti Temple, leaving a 21-year-old woman with serious head injuries.

The incident occurred around 8.10 pm near the Om Shakti Temple located in VS Garden area of Jagajeevanram (JJ) Nagar. According to police and eyewitness accounts, devotees were performing religious rituals as part of the procession when stones were suddenly hurled at them from a nearby area.

In the attack, a young woman sustained severe head injuries and began bleeding profusely. She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where her condition is said to be serious but stable.

Following the stone pelting, angry devotees and mala-dharis gathered near the JJ Nagar police station and staged a protest, alleging that members of another community deliberately targeted the procession.

The protesters demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack and claimed that they were forced to live in constant fear. Some protesters even demanded the construction of a wall between the two localities to prevent such incidents in the future.

To prevent any further untoward incidents and to maintain law and order, the police deployed two contingents of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) in the area. Additional police forces were also stationed near the temple premises and around the police station as a precautionary measure.

The injured woman’s father told reporters that stones were thrown from the opposite side of the temple. He said that due to darkness, it was not possible to identify the attackers. Police officials confirmed that efforts are underway to identify the culprits using CCTV footage from the surrounding areas.

Based on a complaint filed by Shashikumar (43), the FIR states that around 8.15 pm, devotees were engaged in prayers when the procession passed near the Panchamukhi Nagadevata Temple. At that time, three to four unidentified youths allegedly pelted stones at the procession, resulting in serious injury to one woman.

The FIR also mentions that similar incidents had occurred in the past. On two or three previous occasions, miscreants had allegedly set fire during religious events in the area. Devotees of Om Shakti and Ayyappa Swamy have jointly submitted a complaint, demanding strict legal action against those who hurt religious sentiments and committed atrocities against Dalits.

Police said the situation is currently under control, and investigations are ongoing to nab the accused at the earliest.

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