Anti-farm laws stir: MP cops fire tear gas, water cannons on protesting Congress workers

BHOPAL: Police used tear gas shells, water cannons as Congress leaders and workers in Madhya Pradesh marched towards the Raj Bhavan here in a bid to gherao it over the demand for withdrawal of three new central farm laws.

Police also cane-charged to discipline protesters after they turned unruly, he added.

Over 100 Congress leaders and workers, including ex-CM Digvijaya Singh, his MLA son Jaivardhan Singh and legislator Kunal Chaudhary were detained by police but released later.

According to Bhopal police sources, 1500-plus Congress activists have been booked under Sections 353, 147, 148, and 188 of IPC.

Vice-chairman of state Congress media cell Bhupendra Gupta alleged that more than 50 Congress activists were injured in the cane-charge on the protestors.

#WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Police use water cannons to disperse Congress workers who were taking out a march from Jawahar Chowk to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal, in the support of farmers. pic.twitter.com/7Jz6s5tdpv

— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2021

As per informed sources, around 5 police personnel too were hurt when protesting Congress activists clashed with cops.

The march was led by ex-CM and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath. When the Congress activists, including senior Congress MLA and ex-MP Laxman Singh (Digvijaya Singh’s brother), tried to climb the barricades at the Roshanpura crossing on route to the Raj Bhawan, the police started using water cannons to disperse the protestors.

Subsequently, the cops fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob of Congress activists and later cane-charged them.

Slamming the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, the MP Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted, “I condemn the cane-charge, water-cannons and tear gas used by police at the behest of Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on thousands of Congress workers and farmers. Many of our party workers, women, and farmers, besides media personnel, were injured in the police action. But our battle against the new farm laws will continue.”