Shimla, August 29
The holding of parallel rallies by the ruling Congress and the BJP outside the Assembly today turned violent as party workers clashed forcing the police to use force to stop the situation from worsening.
The situation turned violent as BJP and Congress workers clashed just outside the main gate of the Vidhan Sabha amidst the pelting of stones and use of lathis by the police. BJP vice-president and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar and Rajiv Bindal, MLA, were injured in the clash between Congress and BJP workers on the road outside the MLAs’ hostel.
The BJP workers led by party vice-president Shanta Kumar, former Chief Minister and MP P.K. Dhumal, state BJP chief Jai Ram Thakur and other senior party leaders marched towards the Vidhan Sabha after holding their protest rally. The BJP workers who held their demonstration rally at Ambedkar Chowk on the Chaura Maidan side wanted to
proceed towards the Assembly after their rally got over but on being denied permission by the police and the administration they took a detour and decided to approach from the Cart Road side.
The BJP workers reached very close to the point where Congress workers had gathered. The situation turned tense as inadequate police personnel deployed there were pushed by party workers from both sides. Seeing the situation getting tense, the police resorted to a lathi charge.
While the BJP had organised a protest rally against the CD issue, Bali birthday bash and other issues, the Congress decided to hold a “samarthan rally” on the same day and time, resulting in the clash. Both parties managed to give a good show of strength as they held parallel rallies before the situation turned ugly.
Shanta Kumar hurt his hand and arm as he tried to save his face from a stone which was thrown towards BJP workers. He was taken to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) where he was given six stitches. “We wanted to hold a dharna peacefully but as Dhumal and myself sat on the road, stones were pelted by Congress workers who were assisted by the police who cleared the way for them by using lathis against BJP workers,” he said.
“It was goondaism by the Congress workers who were led by the Chief Minister himself leaving over 30 BJP workers injured,” he said. He criticised the administration for allowing a rally by the ruling party when the BJP had already sought permission for its rally.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh accused the BJP of trying to create trouble by making a forced entry into the place where the Congress was holding its rally. “In a pre-planned manner the BJP tried to disturb our rally whereas they had been given permission to hold a rally at Ambedkar Chowk from 11 a.m to 1.30 p.m,” he said.
He said the manner in which the BJP leaders led their workers to force their entry only compounded the situation. He defended his party’s decision of holding a rally, saying that the Congress was a political party which had the right to hold a rally or demonstration.
