A day after police and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists clashed outside the Odisha assembly, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday criticised the police action, saying it was excessive.
“I condemn the excessive action taken by the police, in the strongest possible terms, over the activists of our party’s Yuva Morcha yesterday when they were protesting against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy. The activists of Yuva Morcha are the activists of a political party. But the police inhumanely attacked them, not as political activists but as criminals, which is worrying,” Pradhan said in a string of posts on Twitter.
On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers clashed with the police when they were trying to gherao the assembly to protest against the government over the law and order situation in the state in the wake of murder of health minister Naba Kishore Das.
Police said the protesters allegedly threw stones, bottles and eggs at the police. Police arrested 22 activists including state president Irasish Acharya following which the BJP workers gheraoed a police station in the state capital.
Odisha police chief Sunil Bansal rebutted claims that the police action was excessive. Bansal said the police officers acted with utmost restraint. “At least 21 policemen have been injured as stones, bottles and eggs were hurled at them. The law will take its own course,” he said.
Odisha BJP president Samir Mohanty said activists of the ruling Biju Janata Dal also joined the police to beat up BJP workers.
“In the videos, some youths in white shirts can be seen attacking the BJP activists. Who are they? Are they not BJD goons? Such BJD goons first attacked and pelted stones at the police. When police resorted to lathi-charge on BJP activists, the goons again attacked police personnel,” alleged Mohanty.
“CM Naveen Patnaik always says that law will take its own course. But we want to ask that is the law not same for everybody? The police personnel, who beat our BJP activists, brutally attacked and misbehaved with women workers, are they above the law? The BJP Yuva Morcha leaders and others were kept in a barack and produced before the court in the early hours. Those leaders who went to see them were also arrested. It shows that police slapped serious charges against them on somebody’s instruction,” Mohanty alleged.
BJD leader Sasmit Patra drew BJP president JP Nadda’s attention on Twitter. “@JPNadda Ji, please have a look at this video; how Police were mercilessly beaten yesterday by BJP Yuva Morcha workers. 21 Police officers including an ACP injured, 2 Police personnel critical & shifted to SCB Medical,” Patra said.