Rajkot City, India - Police resorted to a baton charge to disperse members of two factions of a religious sect after they clashed during a procession in Gujarat's Rajkot city Wednesday.
The violence resulted from the ongoing friction between the two factions of the Vadtal lineage of the Swaminarayan sect in Rajkot, about 250 km from here.
The Rajkot Satsang Samaaj was protesting with black flags against the inclusion of a religious leader, Rajendra Prasad, in a temple ceremony by the Devpaksh group.
The protests turned violent near the Gurukul temple, where the Satsang group followers started throwing stones on a Devapaksha procession.
Police were also targeted when they attempted to stop violence. In response, police took to baton charge that injured five people, said sources.
Around 400 Satsang followers were detained, police said.