Dispute erupts over public urination in Ashta:Stones thrown; Muslim community issues friday ultimatum against Karni Sena protest

The dispute between Karni Sena workers and the Muslim community in Ashta, Sehore district, has escalated into a show of strength and warnings of agitation. Karni Sena and Hindu organisations plan a major protest on December 28, while the Muslim community warns they will take to the streets on January 2 if action is one-sided. The conflict began on December 21 in Alipur Mohalla, creating tension in the town. Police have arrested 10 miscreants so far. Both communities claim ‘outsiders’ are trying to disrupt Ashta’s centuries-old Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. Police remain deployed, and local reporting investigated the origins and details of the dispute. Read the full report Daily routine normal, but tension spreads When Bhaskar’s team reached Ashta, townspeople appeared engaged in daily routines, schools and colleges were open, markets were busy, but an underlying tension was evident. A heavy police presence and senior officials highlighted the seriousness of the situation. The team visited Alipur locality, a Muslim-majority area where the dispute began. Some Muslim women shared detailed accounts of the incident that night. Stone-pelting incident sparks tension in Ashta Nazma Bi, sitting outside her house near the incident site with other women, recalls the night of December 21 around 8:30–9:00 PM. While she and a few women were talking, some heavily drunk men came and urinated in front of them. Neighborhood boys stopped them, and the women protested, after which the men left. Half an hour later, the same men returned with a large crowd, carrying stones and chanting provocative slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ attempting to enter the neighbourhood and pelting stones indiscriminately. When the shop opened, the road was strewn with stones
On the other side of the road is Babu Panchal’s shop. He says, I closed the shop at 8:30 PM and went home. A little later, a neighbor called to say that a fierce fight was happening here. When I came back, I saw stones being thrown from both sides. Police were firing tear gas shells to control the crowd. Some of the stones coming from Sheikhpura also hit my shop. When we opened the shop in the morning, the road was covered with stones. However, Babu Panchal immediately adds, There has never been a Hindu-Muslim conflict in Ashta. We all live here together. This fight was also between outsiders and the residents. The local people of Ashta were not directly involved in this. Anwar Khan, who runs a small shop in Alipur, had an even more terrifying experience. He says, I was eating food at home when a little girl came and told me that a crowd was shouting outside. They were shouting slogans like ‘Get the Muslims out’. Some people reached my brother’s house and were shouting to get the women out. We were very scared. Even today, I feel scared. We have never seen such an atmosphere. Police action and allegations of being one-sided
After the commotion, police controlled the situation. The next day, FIRs were filed against both communities. Based on video evidence, 10 people from the Muslim community were arrested. An FIR was also registered against the Hindu side for delivering provocative speeches and shouting slogans. According to SDOP Akash Amalkar, The police took immediate cognizance of the December 21 incident and brought the situation under control. An FIR has been registered and 10 people have been arrested. Based on video footage, other individuals are being identified and further arrests will be made. The situation in the city is completely normal and under control. Challenge for administration on December 28 and January 2
This action by the police has now become the center of controversy. The Muslim side alleges that the police are taking one-sided action. This incident has brought Ashta to a sensitive juncture, where both communities are on the path of agitation with their respective demands. Hindu side’s demands and December 28 agitation
Kalu Bhatt, president of the Hindu Utsav Samiti in Ashta, says that Sarva Karni Samaj and other Hindu organizations will participate in the December 28 agitation. They have three main demands from the administration: Muslim community threatens protest over inaction Administration’s dilemma and focus on ‘external’ elements
SDM Nitin Kumar Tale says that the situation is under control and action against anti-social elements is ongoing. He says, people from both communities came to meet us. They said that there is peace in the city, but they fear that people coming from outside might spread unrest. The administration is working to keep this in mind, and we are keeping an eye on outsiders so that they cannot spoil the atmosphere here. This ‘external’ angle is the most important aspect of this story. On one hand, where both communities are mobilising with demands against each other, on the other hand, there is a strong local sentiment that this fire is being ignited from outside. Both ordinary citizens and the administration seem to agree on this.