Police use water cannon against Congress workers marching to LG’s house

PTI, Jun 16, 2022, 3:06 PM IST

New Delhi: Delhi Congress workers on Thursday were faced with water cannons during a march to Lieutenant Governor’s house they held to decry the Delhi Police for “entering the Congress headquarters” and “thrashing” the party leaders inside.

The protest march that was led by state president Anil Kumar, was stopped by the police, minutes after it started from Sushrut Trauma Centre near Chandgiram Akhara to the LG’s house.

The Congress workers alleged that the police tried to stop them from marching to the LG’s house and resorted to water cannons to throw their protest in disarray.

”State president Anil Kumar fainted and suffered injuries after Delhi police resorted to water cannons at the protest,” party officials said.

A large number of the police force was deployed and the area near the Trauma center at Civil Lines was barricaded.

On Wednesday, the Congress had alleged that the Delhi Police forcibly entered their national headquarters in New Delhi and “thrashed” their workers and leaders. Addressing the media after the incident, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala had said, “This is blatantly criminal trespass. We have been protesting peacefully in a Gandhian way but this ‘goondaism’ is unacceptable. It will not be tolerated.” The party leaders have also demanded an FIR against all police officers who thrashed the party workers inside their office.

Several leaders, including Anil Kumar, K C Venugopal, and Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas B V, have been detained and released in past protests going on since Monday against the Enforcement Directorate for questioning Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case. Gandhi’s questioning by the central agency, which began Monday, has brought the party rank and file together in protest against the police and the government.