Jhansi: Several police officials sustained minor injuries and SP (city) was allegedly manhandled by the BJP workers following scuffle between police and the BJP workers during counting of votes of Allahabad-Jhansi block graduate constituency election on Friday.
The incident took place during vote counting. On Friday afternoon, hundreds of BJP workers reportedly tried to get into the college premises to demand recounting of votes but they were stopped by the police.
Alleging rigging of votes during counting as their candidate Yug Dutt Sharma was trailing behind SP candidate Maan Singh Yadav, the BJP workers had demanded recounting of votes.
According to reports, the workers protested and raised slogans against the police and the administration when they were stopped at the gate. Later, they got aggressive and clashed with the police. During the scuffle, former city BJP president Pradeep Sarogi was seen attacking a police officer. The agitating workers also manhandled and pushed SP City Vivek Tripathi, snatched batons from cops and attacked them with the same.
Later on, more BJP workers joined the agitation and staged a sit-in led by the MLAs, Ravi Sharma and Rajiv Singh Paricha at the college gate. The SP workers too staged a sit-in a few meters away against the BJP workers.
The high voltage drama continued for a couple of hours before DM Jhansi Andra Vamsi arrived and persuaded the crowd to leave the place with assurance of recounting of votes.
Talking to TOI, former city BJP city president Pradeep Saraogi said, “After getting information about rigging of votes, we wanted to lodge a complaint to the officials who were sitting inside but we were denied permission to go inside. When we protested, the police used force against us. And when our candidate was manhandled, we staged a sit-in”.
SSP Jhansi, Dinesh Kumar P told TOI, “We are analyzing the video footage, and on its basis will lodge a named FIR against those who took law in their hands once the counting is over”.