Delhi’s protests spawn Congress vs BJP street battles in several cities

Several persons from both sides were seen bleeding profusely. However, there was no official word on the number of persons who were injured or got detained by police.

In Jammu, BJP and Congress workers came face-to-face at Shaheedi Chowk on Wednesday, prompting massive police deployment and the erection of barricades to prevent any confrontation.

Police detain protestors as they come to participate in a demonstration at Shivaji park in support of the CJP-led protest in Delhi against paper leak in NEET examination, in Mumbai.
(Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Police formed a security cordon and kept the rival groups apart with barbed wire as both parties raised slogans within proximity to each other.

In Hyderabad, a woman police constable and a civilian were injured in violent clashes between the cadres of the BJP and ruling Congress near the saffron party’s state headquarters here on Wednesday, police said.

The confrontation began when the police intercepted a group of Congress workers as they marched towards the BJP office in response to an attempt by some saffron party leaders and members to march towards the state Congress office.

Tensions escalated as BJP cadres brandished sticks against the approaching Congress workers, following which a clash broke out with both allegedly attacking each other with sticks and stones. The police dispersed the rioting crowd using mild force.

During the protest, a journalist of a local TV channel suffered head injuries, while a woman constable sustained minor injuries in her leg, police said.

A senior police official said workers of both parties were taken into preventive custody.

In Vijaywada, Congress workers organised a protest here against the detention of Rahul Gandhi, and BJP workers assembled for a rival protest, triggering tension.

Both parties accused each other of violence and provocation.

Protest of BJP candidates at Congress Karyalay Paladi in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)

In Karnataka, BJP took out a counter-protest march towards the Congress office after the ruling party staged a demonstration near the BJP headquarters at Malleshwaram.

The BJP leaders and workers were blocked and taken into preventive custody even before they could reach their destination.

In Kerala, BJP workers marched towards the KPCC office, accusing the Congress of “exploiting” students’ protests over the NEET paper leak for “political gains”.

The march, led by the party’s state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, was attended by senior BJP leaders, including MLAs V Muraleedharan and B B Gopakumar.

Tension prevailed after some protesters, raising slogans against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, tried to move forward by jumping over the barricades.

The police fired several rounds of water cannon at protesting BJP workers to disperse them.

BJP workers pulled down the barricades and attempted to march towards the KPCC office, but the police prevented them from moving forward.

In Jaipur, both the BJP and Congress workers took to the streets, and police used water cannons to disperse a mob led by BJP state president Madan Rathore when they were marching towards the Congress headquarters.

Protestors gather at Connaught Place in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

The Congress protest was led by former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and former MLA Pratap Singh Khachariyawas.

Opposition Congress created a ruckus in the Madhya Pradesh legislative Assembly after its demand for a discussion on the police action against students at Jantar Mantar and the detention of Congress leaders in Delhi was rejected.

In Gujarat, the BJP held a protest to condemn Rahul Gandhi’s demonstration near the PM residence in Delhi.

Workers of the ruling BJP tried to gherao the Congress headquarters in Raipur, prompting police to use water cannons and teargas shells.

In Mumbai, Congress leaders were detained, forcibly evicted and bundled into police vans during a march towards the Maharashtra BJP office. Led by Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, the march began from Gandhi Bhavan with protesters planning to hand over a copy of the Constitution at the BJP office.

However, police stopped and detained Congress leaders and workers midway near Regal Cinema in south Mumbai before they could proceed further.

The Uttar Pradesh units of BJP and Congress held separate protests in Lucknow. However, police thwarted BJP cadres from reaching the Congress office, and stopped the Congress workers led by state president Ajay Rai outside its party office, where police had put up barricades.

(With PTI inputs)