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Congmen clamour for Naveen ouster, protests turn violent
The Lower PMG virtually turned into a battle field on Thursday when Congress workers tried to break the police barricade to gherao the State Assembly. More than hundred persons including 30 cops and eight journalists were injured in a pitched battle between the police and the agitating Congressmen. About a hundred agitators were arrested by the police.
PCC president Niranjan Patnaik and PCC chief spokesperson Narasingha Mishra said their party has called an Odisha Bandh on September 10 in protest against the police ‘brutality’ on party workers during the Mahasamavesh.
They also demanded that the State Government order an inquiry into the police action either by the State Lokpal or by a sitting judge of High Court.
Following completion of address by the State and national leaders at the rally podium and repeated call by national general secretary and Odisha Congress in-charge Jagdish Tytler to the party cadres-Todo, Todo, Todo (Break, Break, Break), the 40,000 odd party workers, at about 2.03 pm, rushed forward to the police cordon, pulled it down and broke into the security layer. The police in its attempt to control the unruly crowd, the police used water canons and fired tear gas shells.
Virtually there was big clash between the Congress workers and the police with the agitators profusely brick-batting beating up policemen with roadside cordon bamboos and the police resorting to undeclared lathicharge. The scene was just pitiful with the bamboo-wielding Congress workers chasing and beating the policemen on the run on one hand and, on the other, the policemen chasing away the mob, striking them with their lathis, apparently with some sense of relent.
The clash continued for over two and half hours with the number of Congress workers gradually swelling from different directions.
During the clash, more than hundred agitators were injured, 10 of them critically, while 30 police personnel were also injured, three of them, including a police-woman, critically. One policeman in plain dress was bludgeoned and seen bleeding profusely while the critically injured woman police was seen being kicked and struck on the head by the Congress workers as she fell down trying to run out of the crowd.
Eight photojournalists along with some video journalists were injured in brick-batting, two among them lathi-charged by the police. One OB van of a leading electronic media channel was also damaged in stone pelting.
The Lower PMG virtually turned into a battle field on Thursday when Congress workers tried to break the police barricade to gherao the State Assembly. More than hundred persons including 30 cops and eight journalists were injured in a pitched battle between the police and the agitating Congressmen. About a hundred agitators were arrested by the police.
PCC president Niranjan Patnaik and PCC chief spokesperson Narasingha Mishra said their party has called an Odisha Bandh on September 10 in protest against the police ‘brutality’ on party workers during the Mahasamavesh.
They also demanded that the State Government order an inquiry into the police action either by the State Lokpal or by a sitting judge of High Court.
Following completion of address by the State and national leaders at the rally podium and repeated call by national general secretary and Odisha Congress in-charge Jagdish Tytler to the party cadres-Todo, Todo, Todo (Break, Break, Break), the 40,000 odd party workers, at about 2.03 pm, rushed forward to the police cordon, pulled it down and broke into the security layer. The police in its attempt to control the unruly crowd, the police used water canons and fired tear gas shells.
Virtually there was big clash between the Congress workers and the police with the agitators profusely brick-batting beating up policemen with roadside cordon bamboos and the police resorting to undeclared lathicharge. The scene was just pitiful with the bamboo-wielding Congress workers chasing and beating the policemen on the run on one hand and, on the other, the policemen chasing away the mob, striking them with their lathis, apparently with some sense of relent.
The clash continued for over two and half hours with the number of Congress workers gradually swelling from different directions.
During the clash, more than hundred agitators were injured, 10 of them critically, while 30 police personnel were also injured, three of them, including a police-woman, critically. One policeman in plain dress was bludgeoned and seen bleeding profusely while the critically injured woman police was seen being kicked and struck on the head by the Congress workers as she fell down trying to run out of the crowd.
Eight photojournalists along with some video journalists were injured in brick-batting, two among them lathi-charged by the police. One OB van of a leading electronic media channel was also damaged in stone pelting.
