Bharatiya Janata Party workers fought a pitched battle with the Uttar Pradesh police outside the Vidhan Bhavan while protesting over the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. The face off left over 24 people, including some policemen injured.
The BJP had given a call to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. However, the police blocked the area around the State BJP headquarters. The Vidhan Sabha Marg was divided into half by erecting barricades and the same were also set up outside the main gate of State BJP headquarters to prevent party workers from coming out. Posses of policemen were deployed from Hazratganj to Vidhan Bhavan.
Initially, the BJP was taken aback by the massive police bandobust. Then skirmishes started when State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya led hundreds of workers and gheraoed Vidhan Bhavan. When the cops tried to prevent them, more party workers joined and soon there was a pitched battle.
The barricades were uprooted and BJP workers used the bamboos as weapons against the police. As the crowd swelled, the police used water canons against them. Once BJP workers started pelting stones police lobbed tear gas shells inside the party headquarters. The fierce battle continued for almost an hour and left over two dozen, including policemen injured. CO Hazratganj Ashok Verma also suffered injuries in the melee. They were taken to Civil Hospital for treatment. The BJP however released a list of 116 people who received injuries.
“It is a black day for democracy. The BJP workers were assaulted while they were staging a peaceful demonstration. The party workers were lathi-charged and police used tear gas shells to intimidate us. This was being done at a time when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was claiming that everything is well in the State,” State BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters after the fracas on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police claimed that they were forced to use mild force against the agitators as they indulged in heavy brick- batting. “Everything is fine. The agitation passed off peacefully,” SSP Manzil Saini told reporters in her daily briefing.
Amidst the claims and counter-claims, it was the common man who bore the brunt as traffic went for a toss and all main and tertiary roads in the city were choked.