BJP MPs blame admn. for Raipur incident

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 4. The two-member BJP Parliamentary team that looked into the police lathicharge and beating up of the party workers and leaders in Raipur on April 28 during a protest demonstration has expressed the view that there was a deliberate design of the administration to suppress any dissent in Chhatisgarh.

In its report submitted to the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, here today, the BJP team cited several instances of brutal suppression of legitimate demands of the people of the State. On April 28, a protest march of the BJP was broken up by the police who even assaulted the Leader of Opposition in Chhatisgarh State Assembly, Mr. Nand Kumar Sai, who had his knee fractured. Several party MPs like Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Mr. Prahlad Patel, Mr. Lakhi Ram Aggarwal, were also beaten up and abused by the police.

``About 150 BJP workers suffered serious injuries with broken limbs. The police forcibly entered the shops, assaulted customers and shopkeepers. Even a lawyer was assaulted in his chamber. When the MPs and shopkeepers went to lodge an FIR, the police bluntly refused,'' the team, comprising Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad and Mr. Ashok Pradhan, both MPs, said in its report.

The team felt that it was a clear case of taking a step under Article 355 of the Constitution as there appeared to be a serious and deliberate case of violation of the democratic and Constitutional right of the people in Chhatisgarh.

Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that a high-level team of Home Ministry officials should be sent to Raipur to make inquiries and to ensure that action against the guilty police officials was taken.

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Section  : Other States
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