The Hindu : BJP rallyists lathicharged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

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BJP rallyists lathicharged

By Lalit Shastri

Police dispersing Bharatiya Janata Party workers using water cannon after they tried to force their way into the Madhya Pradesh State police headquarters in Bhopal on Saturday. (Inset) The BJP leader, Uma Bharti addressing party workers. — Photo: A.M. Faruqui

BHOPAL JUNE 7. Police used water cannon and force to disperse a Bharatiya Janata Party rally here today. Led by the former Union Minister, Uma Bharti, and the BJP national general secretary, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the rally was to focus attention on "police atrocities and the deteriorating law and order situation in the State''.

The police heavily barricaded the road leading to the police headquarters and the Rapid Action Force was deployed to prevent the demonstrators from going beyond Neelam Park, the venue of the rally.

The State BJP president, Kailash Joshi, Ms. Bharti and Mr. Chauhan spoke at the rally. They alleged that terrorists found the State a safe place to hide after carrying out disruptive activities in other parts of the country. Police inefficiency had led to an alarming rise in crime rate, they alleged.

When the BJP protesters tried to break the police cordon and court arrest, the police used water cannon and resorted to a lathicharge.

Later addressing reporters at the State BJP headquarters, Mr. Chauhan said the police used brute force against their peaceful demonstration. The Opposition's democratic right to protest had been denied, he charged.

The BJP workers were being booked under false charges, he said and alleged that this was being done at the behest of the Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, to terrorise the Opposition.

Mr. Chauhan alleged the police had even thrown stones at the demonstrators injuring at least 10 BJP workers. The BJP would agitate if district authorities failed to take action against those responsible for using brute force, he said.

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