Following the arrest of Mussoorie MlA Ganesh Joshi, a delegation of senior BJP leaders, including Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, State BJP in-charge Shyam Jaju and former Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant, met State DGP BS Sidhu and expressed their anguish over the arrest on Friday.
They said that the arrest of an MlA during Vidhan Sabha session was unconstitutional. Meanwhile, BJP called Mussoorie bandh on Friday over the same issue. Scores of BJP leaders assembled and protested outside Vidhan Sabha too, venting anger against the arrest.
According to the BJP leaders, the police had arrested MlA Joshi at the behest of the ruling Congress. They accused police of not acting over this matter as per the law of the land. As per the law, the administration is bound to take permission from the Vidhan Sabha Speaker before arresting an MlA when Vidhan Sabha is on, they said. They reportedly asked Sidhu whether the requisite permission had been taken. DGP Sidhu is learnt to have told them that the district police had arrested Joshi.
Meanwhile, hundreds of BJP activists led by BJP Mahanagar president Umesh Aggarwal assembled at its office and rallied till SSP office while shouting slogans against the Chief Minister and the State government over the arrest of Joshi. Aggarwal accused the State government of framing MlA Joshi over mounted police issue to get political mileage. They also shouted slogans against police administration. They alleged that BJP MlA Joshi and other leaders were being framed in false cases to defame the Opposition party. They threatened to intensify their protest across the State over the issue.
BJP activists staged rallies in Rishikesh and Mussoorie too. Mussoorie bandh evoked a partial response. Scores of BJP activists assembled and staged stir outside Vidhan Sabha. They were stopped at the police barricade put up at Rispana Bridge. Protest rallies were reported from Kishan Nagar Chowk too. The protestors burnt the State Government in effigy.
In another development, dozens of Congress workers assembled at Rispana Bridge and raised slogans in favour of Chief Minister and State Government.