Congress workers clash with police near Odisha Assembly

Protests over coal blocks allocation turned violent in Odisha when several thousand Congress workers clashed with police outside the state Assembly. The Congress workers were demanding the resignation of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik alleging that he recommended people for allocation of coal blocks.

Police lathicharged the Congress workers, used water canon and fired tear gas to disperse then after they allegedly attacked them. Police officials claimed that the mob attacked and beat up a lady constable mercilessly after which the order to use force against the Congress workers was given. Over 100 Congress workers were injured in the clash.

Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra said that they used minimum force to disperse the crowd. He claimed that the crowd turned violent and indulged in vandalism outside the Assembly. He added that Congress workers were armed with sticks, rods, bricks and stones. Several of them were also drunk, said Mishra.

The DGP also said that besides the lady constable, 60 other police personnel were injured. Although he refused to say if anyone was seriously injured, he added that all of them have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

Odhisha Congress leader Soumya Ranjan Patnaik blamed the police for the violence, alleging that the lathicharge was unnecessary as the protests were peaceful. He said that the protestors turned violent only after the police lathicharge

“Who broke peace first? There was a peaceful meeting of 1 lakh people. Why did police resort to lathicharge and teargas?” asked Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.