Patiala violence: Clashes near Kali temple, CM Mann says ‘closely monitoring’

Clashes broke out between two groups near Kali Devi Mandir in Punjab’s Patiala on Friday. The visuals shared by ANI show intense sloganeering and scuffle between the two groups.

A person was caught on camera hurling stones from the terrace of a building. Some people were also seen holding swords and other weapons during the clashes.

The police personnel were seen trying to maintain calm in the premises.

“Seeing the problem of law and order here, police have been deployed. We are speaking with Shiv Sena (one of the groups) local unit chief Harish Singla as they don’t have any permission for the march,” a senior police official told ANI.

The state government is closely monitoring the situation, chief minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted, calling the violence ‘deeply unfortunate’.

“The incident of clashes in Patiala are deeply unfortunate. I spoke with DGP, peace has been restored in the area. We’re closely monitoring the situation and won’t let anyone create disturbance in the State. Punjab’s peace and harmony is of utmost importance,” he said.