Himachal Congress workers baton charged, arrested

SHIMLA - At least 11 Congress activists were injured and 46 arrested here Friday after police resorted to baton charge to disperse them from outside the state assembly, authorities said.

They were gathered near the assembly to participate in a state-level protest rally against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over hike in bus fares and corruption.

“After the rally concluded, the Congress activists started proceeding towards the assembly. The police tried to stop them but some of the miscreants pelted stones at police. To disperse them, police had to use force. Some police personnel were also injured,” Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma told IANS.

Later, the Congress activists moved towards Cart Road, the main highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, and tried to block the traffic.

“More than 100 protesters gathered at the highway and tried to block traffic. This led to a clash between police and the protesters. We again used force to disperse them,” Sharma said.

He said 46 people were arrested.

“One person, Manish Thakur was seriously injured. He got injured after a vehicle hit him while the activists were trying to block the traffic,” he said.

However, Congress activists said they were returning peacefully from the rally when the police used force against them.

State Youth Congress president Manmohan Katoch, who was also injured in the clash, said: “When Congress workers were returning from the rally, police baton charged them.”

State Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur condemned the police action.

“After the rally, the Congress men were dispersing. As they reached near the assembly, the police stopped them and did not allow them to move ahead. The police baton charged them without any provocation,” he said.