Police lathi-charge BJP activists outside UP assembly building

Activists of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on Monday clashed with police during their protest over the law and order situation of Uttar Pradesh in front of the state assembly while it was in session, forcing cops to lathi-charge and use tear gas shells.

In support of their 11-point charter of demands and to protest against ‘poor’ law and order, increasing crime against women, power cuts, problems of youths and students, the BJYM workers attempted to gherao the state assembly on Monday afternoon, BJP spokesman Manish Shukla said.

Barricading was done by police to prevent the BJYM activists from marching towards the Assembly building, but they attempted to force their way and indulged into brickbat, police sources said.

To control the situation, police resorted to lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells, they said. Some persons, including policemen, were reportedly injured, the sources added.

Shukla said nearly 50 BJYM activists were injured in the incident. Another BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak alleged that police acted in a “barbaric” manner against BJYM activists protesting as a part of series of agitation by BJP.

He said BJP had been continuously protesting peacefully inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha to attract the attention of the government. If the government would not act on resolving the problems of the people, opposition would protest, he said.

Pathak claimed several BJYM workers were injured in the police action. BJP leaders, meanwhile, raised the issue in the assembly and condemned police action.

Image: BJP youth activists clash with the UP police outside the assembly building. Photograph: ANI/Twitter