Cops lathicharge protesting Youth Congress workers

The UT police resorted to lathicharge on protesting Youth Congress members outside the party office in Sector 35 today. The Congress was protesting ‘inhuman’ treatment of youths deported from the US.

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The protesters were also raising slogans over unemployment, drugs and the ownership rights for residents of rehabilitation schemes in Chandigarh.

The Congress workers gathered outside the party office in the afternoon. As they tried to march towards the BJP office in Sector 33 in the form of a rally, a heavy police force deployed there stopped them.

As the protest escalated, the police, who had barricaded the road outside the Congress office, first used water cannons and later resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

According to sources, three protesters and a few police personnel, including a woman constable, sustained injuries during the clash. Stones were also hurled at police vehicles. A group of youth among the protesters allegedly hurled stones, prompting a stronger retaliation by the police. The injured police personnel were taken to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident has been initiated at the Sector 36 police station. Accusing the Modi government of submitting to the US, national president of Youth Congress Uday Bhanu Chhib condemned the recent incident where the Indian youth deported by the US government were handcuffed and shackled when they landed in Punjab. “These young men had gone abroad in search of employment because the government had failed to address the issue of job creation,” he added.

State Youth Congress president Deepak Lubana said the BJP was solely focused on self-interest. He emphasised the youth needed employment, not drugs. They had planned a protest at the BJP office to press for action against drug abuse and for government efforts to create more job opportunities. He warned that if strict action was not taken against drug abuse soon, the party would launch a larger protest.

The Congress leaders also accused the BJP government of depriving residents of rehabilitation housing schemes of ownership rights. In a reply submitted by the Union Government in the Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, the government had clarified that there was no provision for ownership rights to the residents who were allotted houses under such schemes.