Up against the police crackdown on political activists on Wednesday, workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) took out a protest march in Hisar on Thursday.
The protest was led by Haryana BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma and senior HJC leader Ramji Lal, while HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, who was also expected to participate in the march, did not turn up due to his reported ill health.
The protesters gathered at Kranti Park around 11am and marched towards the district secretariat where they submitted a memorandum, addressed to governor Jagannath Pahadia, through local sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Amarjeet Singh.
In the memorandum, the BJP and HJC had demanded quick action against the police officials involved in the lathicharge incident and quashing of cases against the BJP and HJC workers for Wednesday's protest. The police have reportedly booked at least 25 BJP and HJC workers under various sections, including causing grievous injury to policemen, during the Wednesday's protest outside the Jindal House in Hisar.
After Wednesday's clashes between the party workers and police, the administration deployed huge posse of police force in and around the district secretariat area and entry to the compound remained restricted during the first half of the day. After staging the protest and submitting the memorandum, state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma addressed the media.
{{/usCountry}}After Wednesday's clashes between the party workers and police, the administration deployed huge posse of police force in and around the district secretariat area and entry to the compound remained restricted during the first half of the day. After staging the protest and submitting the memorandum, state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma addressed the media.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing mediapersons, Sharma said the BJP-HJC leaders had given four days' time to the administration to withdraw cases against the party workers and also probe the role of police officials responsible for canecharging. "We will chalk out the future action keeping in view the government action," Sharma said.
Sharma alleged that Naveen Jindal, Congress MP from Kurukshetra, had left a blot on Hisar with his alleged involvement in Coalgate. "We stand by our demand for his immediate arrest and the party will take up the issue throughout the state," Sharma said.
Nearly 20 BJP and HJC workers and eight police personnel, including two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), had suffered injuries following clashes between BJP-HJC workers and police on Wednesday. The police had resorted to lathicharge after some party workers allegedly tried to throw "black oil" on the entrance gate of the Jindal House as a mark of protest, but it fell on some police officials.
Among those injured in the incident were BJP district chief Kamal Gupta, HJC district chief, Randheer Panihar and BJP leader Naresh Nain. They are still admitted to a private hospital in Hisar.