E-Paper
9 booked for pre-poll violence in Madhya Pradesh
BJP candidate from Badnawar, Rajvardhan Singh‘s brother Harshvardhan Singh lodged a complaint against seven Congress workers for attacking his vehicle and injuring six people.
In pre-poll violence witnessed in at least three assembly constituencies going to by-polls in Madhya Pradesh, at least seven people sustained injuries while nine were booked in connection with the incidents in the past 24 hours, the police said.
Groups of BJP and Congress workers allegedly clashed in Badnawar in Dhar district on Monday resulting in injuries to at least six people. The injured were rushed to a hospital, the police said.
According to the police, BJP candidate from Badnawar, Rajvardhan Singh‘s brother Harshvardhan Singh lodged a complaint against seven Congress workers, including MP Congress Committee secretary Kuldeep Singh Bundela and a local Congress leader Abhishek Modi, for attacking his vehicle and injuring six people.
However, Kuldeep Singh also lodged an FIR with Tilgara police station in the district blaming the BJP workers for an attack on them.
Also read: Over 200 militants killed by forces in Jammu and Kashmir since January this year
Superintendent of Police (SP), Dhar district Aditya Pratap Singh said, “A clash took place between BJP and Congress workers when the vehicle of one of the groups was allegedly hit by another group’s vehicle in Tilagara area.”
“Later, Congress workers attacked BJP workers and injured six people. They fled the spot. Police have identified four of the seven accused and are trying to nab them,” said the SP.
In another incident, BJP candidate from Gwalior Pradyumn Singh Tomar’s son Ripudaman Singh registered a complaint against Manu Sharma, nephew of Congress candidate from Gwalior, Sunil Sharma, for allegedly attacking him and consuming alcohol in public, said police.
Ripudaman Singh said he lodged a complaint with the police in the wee hours on Monday when he received information late night on Sunday that Congress workers were distributing liquor in a car in Gwalior’s Padaav area.
“When I reached there, I was attacked by a group of six people. I sustained injuries when their car driver attacked me. I sustained injuries on one of my hands, said Singh.
Gwalior Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi said, “An FIR has been registered against Manu Sharma and another person for voluntarily causing hurt and consuming liquor in public.”
Similarly, in Mandhata constituency of Khandwa district, a group of Congress workers staged a sit-in at Punasa police station on Sunday night alleging that a party worker Abhishek Thakre was attacked by a group of BJP workers when he objected to the act of the latter distributing money and liquor.
The worker, in a written complaint to police, accused the BJP candidate’s son and some other people of attacking him at village Khutlakala.
Punasa police station in-charge OP Singh said, “We are looking into the complaint.”
MP Congress committee spokesperson JP Dhanopia said, “Police are taking action against Congress workers at the behest of the BJP-led state government. The BJP leaders are nervous because they have realised that they are going to lose the by-polls.”
BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “Congress workers are trying to create disturbance during the by-polls but they won’t be allowed to disturb the peace in the state.”
