Ahmedabad: City police on Saturday detained five individuals for allegedly damaging Christmas decorations at Palladium Mall near Thaltej on the SG Highway. The detained persons are reportedly associated with a group identified as ‘Bhagwa Sena’. Videos circulating on social media appear to show the men pulling down Christmas-themed decorative trees installed inside the mall.

A representative of the mall said the incident took place late on Saturday morning, when a group allegedly entered the premises and began dismantling the decorations. The mall authorities alerted the police, following which personnel reached the spot and escorted the accused out of the mall.

According to the complaint filed at Vastrapur Police Station, the incident occurred between 11:45 am and 12:30 pm. The accused identified as Rahul Rajnishbhai Verma, Anupsinh Anandakumar Rajput, Dhruvsinh Ranjitsinh Rajput, Prajjval Bhaveshbhai Jha, and Bobysinh Dharmendrasinh Rajput allegedly forcibly entered the premises. They allegedly engaged in a verbal altercation and scuffle with mall staff and security personnel, including security guard Umesh Bhagora and security in-charge Sushil Yadav, before proceeding to pull down decorative installations on the ground, first, and fourth floors. The damage has been estimated at around ₹5,000.

Police have registered an offence based on the complaint and booked the five under Sections 333, 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 324(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is under way.

Speaking to the media, Bhagwa Sena leader Kamal Raval stated that the organisation was “not against the celebration of festivals of other religions”, but asserted that malls should also give equal visibility to Hindu festivals during the year. DeshGujarat