UK police have announced the arrest of a 55-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, following an incident during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Leicester. The arrest was made in response to a social media video that allegedly depicted an altercation between an Indian-origin group of men and women and a police officer.
Leicestershire Police stated that the man was taken into custody on Monday evening and has since been released under investigation as inquiries are ongoing. The incident was related to an "unplanned procession" that occurred after an "authorized religious festival celebration" earlier on the same day.
The police statement was issued in response to a social media post by a Hindu priest who claimed to have been "pushed around" by a police officer during the Ganesh Chaturthi procession.
The Insight UK community group tweeted, "Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were disrupted in Leicester. Hindu priest pushed around by Sgt Adam Ahmed of Leicestershire police."
According to the police, their officers attempted to engage with the crowd to gather details of the incident.
The Leicestershire Police statement read, "We can confirm that a man, aged 55, was arrested on suspicion of assault of an emergency worker on Belgrave Road, Leicester, on the 18th September. The man was taken into custody and was since released under investigation as enquiries continue. An authorized religious festival celebration had been successfully facilitated earlier in the evening. We understand an additional unplanned procession was then found to be underway on the street."
The statement continued, "There are legal requirements surrounding processions and therefore officers attempted to engage with the crowd to establish the details of an organizer. This led to an incident, where the man was arrested and is now subject to investigation."
The police emphasized their ongoing engagement with the local community and those involved in celebrations to ensure safety. They encouraged event organizers to inform the Council in advance to ensure appropriate support and safety measures.
Leicester witnessed communal clashes in September 2022 following an India-Pakistan cricket match. The disturbances led to several arrests and prompted the UK government to launch an independent review to ascertain the facts surrounding the unrest.
