Youth Cong protest at HP Assembly, lathi charged

Shimla: Bitter confrontation between the ruling benches and Congress inside the assembly saw its culmination outside the House when the youth Congress held a massive rally and tried to break the police cordon to force entry towards the state assembly. Leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri—who addressed the youth congress protesters, alleged that the youth Congress workers were lathi-charged and dragged by the police resulting in scuffle.

"The Youth congress president Nigam Bhandari was particularly targeted by the lathi wielding policemen and subjected to physical attack," he alleged.

The protest was organised by the youth congress on the issues of unemployment, inflation, drug abuse among youths –which the BJP government has failed to check and deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The slogan shouting youth congress workers, who were given permission, for Chaura Maidan started marching towards state vidhan Sabha. The police, having already erected barricades to stop their protests, used mild force to prevent the activists. In the process, several youths climbed the barricading and started breaking the police cordon forcing their entry towards the banned area. The action was strongly retaliated by the police which also used a mild lathicharge. Superintendent of police Shimla Dr. Monika ,however denied that any lathi charge was done on the protesters.

"We have video footage of the entire scene .No where we used lathis," she said.

In his address to the youths, Mukesh Agnihotri launched a scathing attack against the BJP government for smashing all democratic precedents to allow the people to raise their voice against the government on burning issues.