Several persons were injured as police used water cannons to disperse protesting Youth Congress workers here on Wednesday, the party claimed. The Youth Congress had organized a protest march from the party office on the Link Road no 1 to the chief minister’s residence against inflation, rising fuel prices and unemployment. But police stopped the march near the Congress office by putting up barricades. As protestors tried to climb the barricades, police used water cannons and arrested many of them.
Youth Congress workers led by its national president Srinivas B V had gathered here from across the state to take part in the protest, said a party leader. Rakesh Goyal, a worker from Badnagar in Ujjain, was seen with his head bleeding.Police hit him with batons resulting in an injury to the head, he alleged.
Congress MLA and former minister Jaivardhan Singh, whose clothes were torn in the melee, claimed that several protestors were injured due to the use of force by police. Our struggle for people will continue despite Shivraj Singh Chouhan government’s dictatorial attitude," Singh said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ankit Jaiswal said “six busloads" of protesters were arrested. They will be released after some time," he added.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Srinivas B V, state unit president Vikrant Bhuria, MLAs Jaivardhan Singh and Kunal Choudhary and others under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 147 (rioting), the ASP told PTI.
The protest was planned to be held outside the state Assembly but as the Assembly session ended on Tuesday the venue was changed, said a Congress leader.
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