Youth Cong activists set empty car ablaze to protest Sonia grilling

Nagpur: Condemning the Enforcement Directorate’s action of questioning Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the second time in connection with an alleged money laundering case on Tuesday, Youth Congress workers set ablaze an empty car at the busy GPO Square.
Though no one was injured, the incident disrupted vehicular traffic for some time.
At around 3pm, at least two dozen Youth Congress activists from 11 districts of Vidarbha led by state unit president Kunal Raut and Shivani Wadettiwar gathered at the GPO Square. Some of the workers had brought a white car with no registration number plates and parked it in the middle of the junction.
In the absence of police presence, the workers set the car afire. An effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also kept inside the vehicle.
The protest by Youth Congress workers took the city police by surprise. Before Sitabuldi police could take any preventive action, the car was engulfed completely in flames.
On being informed by police personnel deployed outside the house of former home minister Anil Deshmukh, cops from Sitabuldi police station rushed to the spot. NMC’s fire and emergency services department too were informed about the incident.
Before the firemen reached the spot, the car had been completely gutted. Traffic on North High Court Road and Palm Road was badly affected due to the protest.
Holding placards, the workers shouted anti-central government slogans.
Later Kunal Raut told TOI that the protest was not just about the ED summons to Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, but it was also against the Centre, which is sending out a signal that anyone who criticizes or speaks against it will have to face such a treatment.
Sitabuldi police led by senior PI Atul Sabnis rushed to the spot and detained around 20 Youth Congress leaders.
The protest was, however, in complete contrast to the silent dharna by the Congress workers at Samvidhan Square led by former MP Vilas Muttemwar and MLA Vikas Thakre.
Despite attempts, senior PI Sabnis was not available for comments.