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IYC members, national president lathi-charged, arrested for fuel hike protest
Around 40 members of the Youth Congress, including local youth Congress leaders, were arrested by the police.
Members of the Indian Youth Congress, including national president BV Srinivas, were lathi-charged and later arrested by the Goa Police after they decided to march to the chief minister’s residence, officials said. The Youth Congress was holding a ‘peaceful’ agitation at the Azad Maidan in Panaji against hike in fuel prices.
Around 40 members of the Youth Congress, including local youth Congress leaders, were arrested by the police.
The Congress party condemned what they said was an unnecessary lathi-charge by the police and demanded the immediate release of the activists.
“It is a fundamental right of the people to hold agitations and to protest. Nobody can stop this. I was a chief minister as well. Morchas used to come to my house. My private home was also not spared. Any function I used to attend, there they used to be morchas. I have faced it. I have never ordered a lathi-charge. I have faced it. Yesterday, some people who were asking questions of the chief minister were arrested. Is this democracy? What kind of democracy is this?” Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, who was present at the site of the protest, was not arrested,” Digambar Kamat.
“Yesterday, some youths who were asking questions of the Chief Minister were arrested. Is this democracy? What kind of democracy? I condemn this lathi-charge. It is a fundamental principle of a democracy that raising your voice, holding agitations and speaking out. We will not hold back and our agitations will continue,” he added.
The Congress had organised a protest against rising prices, the weakening economy as well as the ‘monetization pipeline’ that was launched by the Union government. No one was seriously injured in the incident.
The protest began with a meeting at the Azad Maidan from where the youth Congress members began to march to the chief minister’s official residence which is a short distance from the Azad Maidan. However, the police set up a picket and didn’t allow the members to march to the CM’s residence prompting a scuffle which resulted in a lathi-charge.
“The CM of Goa has failed the people of Goa. He has destroyed jobs. He has destroyed people’s savings and income. He has destroyed the environment of Goa. He has destroyed the pride of the Goan people. We strongly condemn the cowardly action to lathi-charge the YC people who were raising their voice, the pain of the people of Goa. If the CM cannot hear the voices of the people or the YC workers who were agitating for the people of Goa then I would like to tell the CM to step down else we will pull him down,” AICC in-charge, Youth Congress,” Krishna Alluvera said.
