Amethi BJP, Congress workers clash during Rahul’s visit

Lucknow: Clashes between BJP and Congress workers took place in Amethi on Tuesday during the second day of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to his constituency. BJP workers had collected at the collectorate office where Mr Gandhi was scheduled to attend a meeting. The BJP workers were shouting slogans against the Congress president and demanding his apology for his statements against the Prime Minister when Congress MLC Deepak Singh reached the office and demanded that the BJP workers be removed. This led to heated arguments between Mr Singh and the local police officials. Some local BJP leaders joined in the arguments and within no time, workers of both parties were involved in clashes. Each group shouted slogans against each other’s leaders. The police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

The security of Mr Gandhi was immediately beefed up and he was brought to the collectorate office with additional police force. Earlier in the day, a UP constable was removed from VIP security duty at a guest house where Mr Gandhi was staying. SP Amethi Anurag Arya said that this happened  after the Special Protection Group protecting VIPs in civil dress was stopped by the police constable. “The policeman also had an argument with Mr Gandhi’s VIP security personnel,” he said.