Violence erupted in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia on Saturday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters protesting the denial of an assembly bypoll ticket to former home minister Narottam Mishra clashed with police, leaving several people injured and disrupting traffic on NH-44.
Agitated supporters pelted stones at the police, vandalised trucks, and created chaos on NH-44. Police resorted to tear gas to disperse the mob and placed BJP leaders under house arrest at the district office. The district administration also invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), prohibiting any gathering, procession, sit-in, protest or public event without prior permission.
The unrest followed the BJP’s announcement on Friday evening naming Ashutosh Tiwari as the party’s candidate for the Datia by-election, denying the ticket to Mishra, who had already begun preparations after Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was disqualified from the assembly.
Nearly 300 office-bearers from the district to the panchayat level resigned from their posts in protest. The road blockade began on Friday evening and continued until 5am, causing a traffic jam stretching 15–20 kilometres towards Jhansi and Gwalior. Although the administration diverted traffic, stranded commuters faced severe inconvenience.
Datia district collector Swapnil Wankhede said, “The protest turned violent around 4:30am on Saturday when the administration was trying to clear NH-44 after 11 hours of traffic disruption. To bring the situation under control, police used force and fired tear gas shells. Meanwhile, stone-pelting by protesters damaged several vehicles, and one vehicle was overturned.”
{{/usCountry}}Datia district collector Swapnil Wankhede said, “The protest turned violent around 4:30am on Saturday when the administration was trying to clear NH-44 after 11 hours of traffic disruption. To bring the situation under control, police used force and fired tear gas shells. Meanwhile, stone-pelting by protesters damaged several vehicles, and one vehicle was overturned.”
{{/usCountry}}In the face-off, the superintendent of police, the sub-divisional police officer, eight police personnel, and several supporters of Mishra sustained injuries.
Additional forces were deployed to restore order. “We have asked the leaders under house arrest to leave the office one by one. We do not wish to take punitive action, but they must not come out in groups of five or six. Road blockades will not be allowed,” the collector said.
Narottam Mishra's first reaction
More than 20 hours after the protests began, Mishra made a public appearance and reacted to the violent protests.
“This is the party's decision. But after watching these videos where workers are protesting with petrol and kerosene, I just want to say that you can put forth your point on the party forum. There is a way to do it. This is not the way to express it,” he said.