Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday demanded the suspension of a police officer who ordered a lathi-charge on people who were part of the Ganesh idol immersion procession in Karnataka's Dharwad last week.
The police resorted to a lathi-charge in Narendra village near Dharwad when two groups clashed over playing some songs in the music system during the Ganesh idol immersion procession on September 7.
Mr Joshi, who is a Member of Parliament from Dharwad, met locals and politicians.
Addressing a gathering later, he lost his cool at the officer and even threatened to march to the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) in protest.
"The SP should listen very clearly, when you and the DySP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) are there, who is he to order a lathi charge? How can he do it?" Mr Joshi said in an animated speech.
"Let's go to the SP's office and raise this issue," he said and kept the mic on the table.
Speaking to reporters, the BJP leader said that the locals believe the inspector "purposely did the lathi charge that could even be over political reasons".
In a post on X later, he said the police carried out a lathi charge on "small children and elderly villagers during an extremely peaceful immersion".
"This kind of brutality on the villagers who provided treatment to many, including police and government officials during Covid-19, is extremely condemnable, an unpardonable misdeed that can never be tolerated," he wrote in Kannada
ಧಾರವಾಡದ ನರೇಂದ್ರ ಗ್ರಾಮದಲ್ಲಿ, 11ನೇ ದಿನದ ಗಣಪನ ವಿಸರ್ಜನೆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಶಾಂತಿಯುತವಾಗಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವೇಳೆ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಊರಿನ ಹಿರಿಯ ಗ್ರಾಮಸ್ಥರ ಮೇಲೆ ಪೊಲೀಸರು ಲಾಠಿ ಚಾರ್ಜ್ ನಡೆಸಿದ್ದರು. ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸರಳ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾ, ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಗೌರವಯುತವಾದ ಈ ಗ್ರಾಮಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದ ಕೆಲ ಪೊಲೀಸರು ಮನಸ್ಸೊ ಇಚ್ಛೆ ವರ್ತಿಸಿ,… pic.twitter.com/rDY3KJUMIM
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) September 13, 2025
"The cop who carried out the lathi charge should be immediately suspended or else I would sit in protest with the villagers," he said.
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