Bhubaneswar, Mar 27 (UNI) At least 12 policemen and several Congress workers were injured as the Odisha Assembly gherao protest by the Congress on Thursday turned violent, transforming Mahatma Gandhi Marg into a battleground for hours.
In an attempt to reach the State Assembly, agitated Congress workers dismantled barricades and clashed with police forces deployed near the Lower PMG Square.
The police resorted to a lathi charge, used water cannons, and eventually fired tear gas shells to disperse the Congress workers, who had started throwing chairs at the police, pelting stones, and hurling eggs and tomatoes at them to prevent their march to the State Assembly.
The Congress party had called for the gherao of the Odisha Assembly to demand women's safety in the state and to protest against the rising atrocities against women during the nine months of the BJP's governance.
During the protest, agitated Congress workers allegedly set a police vehicle on fire, but a prompt response from the vehicle's driver managed to douse the flames, Bhubaneswar Commissionerate of Police DCP Jagmohan Meena said.
Speaking to the media, the DCP stated that 12 policemen were injured and hospitalized as Congress workers pelted stones and threw chairs at the police forces. He added that FIRs would be lodged, and police action would be taken against the Congress workers based on CCTV footage from the protest site.
Earlier, thousands of Congress leaders and workers, led by party President Bhakta Charan Das and Odisha Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, marched in a padayatra from Ram Mandir to Mahatma Gandhi Marg. Holding placards and banners while shouting slogans against the BJP government, they gathered at the Congress rally venue to protest against rising crimes against women in the state.
Several Congress leaders criticized the Mohan Majhi government for suspending all 14 Congress MLAs from the House for allegedly raising concerns about atrocities against women. They also condemned the BJP government for refusing to allow a House Committee to probe the increasing crimes against women in the state.
As the meeting continued, several workers marched in a procession toward the Assembly and broke through barricades erected on Mahatma Gandhi Marg. When the police attempted to stop them from proceeding further, a scuffle broke out between Congress workers and security forces, leading to a violent clash.
The Congress workers threw chairs, pelted stones, and hurled water bottles, eggs, and tomatoes at the police. As the situation spiralled out of control, the police resorted to a lathi charge and used water cannons to disperse the violent protesters.
When the agitated Congress workers refused to vacate the area and intensified their attack on the police, the latter fired tear gas shells and resorted to another lathi charge, injuring several Congress workers.
Later, Congress President Bhakta Charan Das arrived at the protest site and demanded that the police either allow them to proceed to the Odisha Assembly or arrest them. Das, along with other senior leaders, including Odisha in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, sat on a dharna on the street to protest against the police action on Congress workers.
Eventually, the police took the leaders and workers into preventive custody and later managed to evacuate the Congress protesters from Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
The DCP stated that the Congress agitators attempted to break the barricades and violate Section 163 of the BNS, which had been imposed in the area due to the ongoing Budget Session of the Odisha Assembly.
Although the situation is now under control, security around the State Assembly has been tightened, and police forces have been deployed at strategic locations on all roads leading to the Assembly.
UNI DP BD