The leaders and workers of Jharkhand BJP held a massive demonstration on Wednesday against the decision of Jharkhand Assembly to notify a room at Jharkhand assembly to offer namaz.
Thousands of BJP workers across the State Capital drifted to the Jharkhand Assembly at Kute village to hold demonstrations. Carrying party flags and banners they were raising slogans against the coalition Government. The traffic of the State Capital was partially affected due to the protest march.
Apprehending a massive demonstration Jharkhand Police made a heavy deployment and forces were deployed at strategic locations on the thoroughfares. There was barricading and sufficient positioning of the police force at Jagannathpur and roads approaching the Assembly building.
All top leaders of the BJP namely State party president and MP Deepak Prakash, Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister Raghubar Das, MPs Sanjay Seth, PN Singh, Sunil Soren, Sudarshan Bhagat, former MP and former state president Ravindra Rai, MLA CP Singh, Organization General Secretary Dharampal Singh, State General Secretary Pradeep Verma, including state officials, MLAs were also present in the programme. In this Assembly gherao program, BD Ram, Dineshanand Goswami, and all the MLAs, all the office bearers of the party, Morcha President were also present.
The police resorted to lathicharge and opened water cannons on BJP protesters. Some of the protesters were injured in the lathicharge.
“What happened today is barbaric. BJP workers were peacefully demonstrating when they were assaulted. A house where people are elected to protect the constitution can’t be the place of appeasement,” union minister Arjun Munda said.
Deepak Prakash had turned unconscious for a while during the lathicharge. Marandi on the other hand alleged that police forces even tried to assault him but the alert security personnel of Marandi pushed them back.
“The police even attacked women. We were peacefully protesting and asking the government to withdraw the decision. But the Hemant Soren government has become so insensitive that it has started using force to gag the voice of opposition,” Marandi said.
Angry BJP protesters scaled barricading and started a sit-in-demonstration on the road. Demonstration continued for two and half hours and the surrounding area of the assembly turned-up into a battle ground.
During the demonstration, the BJP MLAs were holding demonstrations at the entrance of the assembly. They were constantly chanting Hanuman Chalisa and flashed placards reading Hare Ram.