BHUBANESWAR: At least 12 police personnel were injured on Thursday as Congress workers hurdled stones, eggs and chairs when stopped during their march to gherao the assembly – currently in session – in demand for a House Committee to investigate alleged incidents of rising crimes against women.
Congress representatives claimed 20 party workers sustained serious injuries when police allegedly resorted to lathicharge, lobbed teargas shells and fired water cannons to control the situation along Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
“More than 12 police personnel sustained injuries in attacks by demonstrators. Police will identify and take action against unruly protesters,” additional commissioner of police Narasingha Bhol said, adding that police handled the situation with restraint.
DGP: We will not tolerate such hooliganism
DGP Y B Khurania, who met the injured police personnel at Capital Hospital, said, “We will not spare a single person for fomenting unrest. We will put them in jail for assaulting the police. We will never tolerate such kind of hooliganism.”
Police also stopped certain individuals from trying to set one of their vehicles on fire near the Congress Bhawan, preventing the situation from escalating further.
It comes a day after Congress workers tried to enter the assembly premises after 12 of its 14 MLAs were suspended. Congress alleged police used excessive force against peaceful protesters. Party state president Bhakta Charan Das claimed, “Police acted at the behest of BJP and attacked us.”