The blame-game over drug menace in Punjab reached another level late on Monday night when Akali and Congress workers indulged in a bloody clash over a “white” Ravana.
At least 35 workers of SAD and the Congress party were injured when they clashed over a white effigy of demon king Ravana, police said on Tuesday.
The Congress had reportedly prepared white effigies as a protest against the sale of heroin in Punjab and had planned to burn them on Dussehra along with the photos of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal. Traditionally, Ravana effigies are covered with black glaze paper.
Deputy leader of the Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who represents ludhiana West Assembly constituency, said that as many as 12 Congress men were injured in the clash.
District Congress Committee president Gurpreet Goggi and Ravinder Gill were seriously injured in the clash and rushed to a nearby hospital. According to the police, the SAD workers damaged the white Ravana. The workers also allegedly damaged the vehicle of Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.
A clash broke out between the two sides at around 11:45 pm following which the Congress worker overpowered Youth Akali Dal Malwa zone president Tersem Singh Bhinder and took him to the residence of the Commissioner of Police Jatinder Singh Aulakh, said Ashu.
Congress leaders alleged that they staged a dharna outside the Commissioner's residence after the police officials “refused” to register their complaint. The protest continued till the wee hours of Tuesday.
On the other hand, Bhinder alleged that he along with his supporters had visited the police station of the area to lodge a complaint and in the meantime MP Bittu along with his supporters arrived outside the police station. He claimed that 25 SAD supporters were injured when they were attacked by Congressmen.
Bhinder said any attempt to malign the image of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister will not be tolerated and strong action will be taken to foil the plan of anti-social elements of Congress. Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhruman Nimble said that nearly 35 persons have been injured in the clash. Police were collecting the medico-legal reports and are in the process of registering a case.