Protest thwarted, but how did Ganesha end up in police van in Karnataka's Mandya?

BENGALURU: Ganesha idols are a common sight on the city's streets this time of year, but on Friday, one idol found itself at the heart of high drama at a protest site, serving as an unexpected shield between protesters and police.
At Town Hall, protesters demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recent Mandya incident began trickling in in groups of five to 10.By 11.30am, around 25 people had gathered, with one protester boldly holding up a 1ft-tall Ganesha idol on a pedestal. As per city rules, protests are only allowed at Freedom Park, so police arrived swiftly, ready to detain the crowd.

The moment cops spotted the Ganesha idol, uncertainty hung in the air. The leading officer, a three-star inspector, quickly grabbed the idol and placed it in an empty police van intended for the protesters.
However, the sight of the lonely Ganesha in the van caught the eye of photographers, and police soon realised how the scene might escalate.
In a flurry of action, a police officer rushed back to the van, carefully retrieved the idol, and moved it to a police jeep. Meanwhile, the protesters were rounded up and loaded into the caged van.
What began as a simple protest took a divine detour, with Ganesha unwittingly becoming the centre of attention, both for the police and media.