Bhubaneswar: A social media live video led to a clash between supporters of two rival factions of a political party at a Ganesh Puja pandal in Bhubaneswar in the early hours of Monday, injuring five men.Police said the injured men are undergoing treatment and are out of danger. Preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects allegedly resorted to blank firing during the violence, triggering panic in the area.According to police, the trouble began after a youth went live on a social media platform and made remarks targeting his rival. The comments angered the latter’s supporters, leading to mounting tensions between the two groups.“The youth made certain inappropriate remarks during a live social media session. Enraged by the comments, supporters of the other individual started looking for him at places he was known to frequent,” a police officer said.Police said at least 15 men reached a Ganesh Puja pandal in Bharatpur about 2.30am in search of the youth. When they failed to find him there, they allegedly began abusing some of his friends present at the venue, sparking a confrontation that quickly escalated into a clash.The situation was brought under control after police intervention. Police have collected CCTV footage from the area and identified several people allegedly involved in the violence. Efforts are on to arrest them, another police officer said.The police also plan to question the youth whose social media remarks are believed to have triggered the incident.“The incident appears worrisome as there is a growing tendency for social media disputes to spill over into real-world violence,” retired police officer Santosh Mohanty said.
