Youth Cong protest turns violent

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 24

The protest by Youth Congress activists outside the Vidhan Sabha on Friday turned violent as police resorted to use of force and water cannons on being provoked by the activists as they tried to cross the barricade put up to prevent them from entering the Assembly.

It was on the national call given by All-India Youth Congress to hold protest as part of “Bharat Bachao Jan Andolan” that the activists of the Youth Congress assembled opposite the Vidhan Sabha towards Chaura Maidan side. Both, Youth Congress activists and police personnel were injured in the clash.

The entire CLP staged a walkout in the Assembly the moment they heard about the clash. They raised slogans against the government and the police and sat on a dharna on the road outside the Vidhan Sabha gate to protest against the use of force against Youth Congress activists. The protestors, numbering about 300, kept raising anti-government slogans as police present in large numbers with barricades to prevent them from crossing over to their side. The situation turned ugly the moment some of the activists led by state Youth Congress president Munish Thakur crossed the barricade and fell onto the side police personnel were deployed. The police used mild cane charge against those who crossed the barricade and forced them back.

Provoked by this, the Youth Congress activists started throwing the lathis they were using for the banners and flags at the police. This was followed by stone pelting by the activists, which left both sides injured. This compelled the police to use water cannons to push the Youth Congress activists back.

SP Omapaty Jamwal denied that lathis or force was use against the protesting Youth Congress activists. “Any attempt by the government to muzzle the voice of the opposition will not be tolerated. We will not allow business in the house till the CM does not order an inquiry into the incident,” state Congress president Sukhwinder Sukhu  said.