11 Bajrang Dal activists arrested in Indore after police lathi-charge
Police used lathis to disperse Bajrang Dal activists and arrested 11 of them in Indore in Madhya Pradesh after a sudden protest by them caused a traffic jam in the bustling city, police said on Friday.
The incident took place late on Thursday at the busy Palasia square where the Bajrang Dal workers suddenly staged a sit-in demonstration against the “false” cases filed against them for complaining about illegal drug trade.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the state, alleged that some Bajrang Dal members were injured in the police action.
The government said it had taken cognisance of the protest as well as the police action and ordered an inquiry into the entire episode.
“A group of Bajrang Dal activists suddenly gathered at the busy intersection without permission and staged a sit-in protest, leading to traffic jams on all four roads. When the protesters refused to budge despite repeated appeals by the police, they were moved away using mild force,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Singh Bhadoria said.
Police action
Eleven protesters were arrested under Section 151 (preventive arrest to prevent commission of a cognizable offence) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), Bhadoria said.
Five police personnel suffered injuries while trying to control the Bajrang Dal activists as some people hurled stones at the security forces, he added.
Witnesses said the hour-long sit-in disrupted traffic and led to long queues of vehicles at the intersection.
The BJP claimed that 11 Bajrang Dal workers were injured in the lathi-charge.
BJP’s Indore unit president Gaurav Randive demanded appropriate action against the guilty police personnel.
In Bhopal, Home Minister and government spokesperson Narottam Mishra said he had taken cognisance of the incident and legal action was also taken on the matter.
He said an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) would probe all issues related to the incident.
“We have also ordered that the in-charge of the police station concerned be line-attached (removed from field duty),” the minister said.
(With agency inputs)
