At least three persons, including an Anganwari Sevika, got injured when police resorted to lathicharge in order to disperse Congress workers and other protesters who had gathered at Birsa Chowk near Jharkhand Assembly on Wednesday to press their demands before the State Government.
Two police personnel also got injured when protesters pelted stones and threw bottles and bamboo sticks on the police force during the protest.
“Officer in-charge of Jagannathpur police station and one constable received injuries on their head and stomach after protesters threw stones, sticks and bottles on them,” said Sadar DSP and Ranchi Police spokesperson Vikas Chandra Srivastava. He said that the police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the protesters after they turned violent and started pelting stones on the policemen guarding the HEC gate at Birsa Chowk.
“Three protesters also got minor injuries during the lathicharge,” said the DSP.
Police also had to use water cannons at least five times in order to disperse the crowd by the Congress workers. State Congress in charge RPN Singh, party president Sukhdeo Bhagat and National Spokesperson Ajay Kumar also took active participation during the protest.
Singh claimed that the Congress has once again woken up and its effect would be seen in 2019 elections.
“The State Government system has failed on every front in Jharkhand. Congress Party will never tolerate any changes in CNT and SPT Acts and will corner the State Government on the issue,” said Singh. He also claimed that thousands of party workers had been stopped on their ways by the police to prevent them from eaching to take part in the gherao.
“Today is August 9 when ‘Quit India Movement’ was started during the freedom struggle…we will put it on ground here in Jharkhand,” Singh said.
Innocent people were being lynched under a conspiracy of the State Government, he added.
Bhagat, on the other hand, said that Congress party believes in democracy and the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi but they will not tolerate the highhandedness of Raghubar Das Government in Jharkhand.
“We don’t want violence, but, at the same time, do not flee from it,” Bhagat said. More than 2000 vehicles had been stopped on their way so that they could not take part in the programme, he added.
Secretary of Anganwari Karmachari Sangh Sundari Tirkey said that the Secretary of Ormanjhi block Sita Devi got seriously injured of police batons and later was run over by dozens of protesters when they started running away after police charged them with batons.
Chairman of OBC Cell of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee Abhilash Sahu also made its presence felt to add teeth to the party’s protests.
“The OBC cell had been preparing for the last so many days for the gherao due to which thousands of OBC workers could actively take part in the programme,” said Sahu. He said that the struggle against any kind of changes in CNT and SPT Acts will be continued in future also.
The Congress was staging a dharna at Birsa Chowk against proposed changes in CNT and SPT Acts, against increasing incidents of suicides by debt ridden farmers in the State and diminishing law and order situation in the State where innocent persons being lynched by the crowd. Anganwari Karmchari Sangh and Bijli Karmachari Sangh had also been protesting at Birsa Chowk.