BJP protests outside Congress offices

In an aggressive retaliation to the Youth Congress protest at the India AI Summit in New Delhi, scores of activists of the ruling BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) demonstrated outside the Congress offices at Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, and other places in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The protest at Indore turned violent, as both sides threw stones at each other. At least half-a-dozen Congress workers, some BJP workers, and some police personnel were injured.

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Police had to resort to lathi charge and water cannons to disperse the BJYM activists who were trying to dislodge the police barricading outside the Congress office.

According to Congress leader Aman Bajaj, Indore district president Vipin Wankhede, women wing president Sonali Mimrot and five others were injured, with a block president sustaining head injuries due to stone pelting, who had to be administered five stitches in the head.

BJP leader Sumit Mishra also counter charged that the Congress workers threw stones, resulting in a head injury to a woman worker identified as Bindu Chauhan, who received eight stitches in the head.

A police Sub-Inspector, R S Baghel was also injured, as a stone hit him on the chest.

In Bhopal, the police erected barricades outside the State Congress headquarters to prevent the BJYM activists from reaching there. A heavy police contingent was deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward incident.

At Gwalior, the BJYM activists raised slogans against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

Meanwhile, an enthusiastic BJYM worker directly reached the Congress state headquarters instead of the spot where the other BJYM protesters had gathered, marking a lighter moment at Bhopal that sent across a welcome message of healthy politics.

Bhopal Congress MLA Arif Masood and other Congress leaders and workers smilingly met the BJP worker, who was wearing a tilak on his forehead and the BJP scarf around his neck.

Soon after, Masood drove a scooter and made the BJP worker sit behind. Masood then safely dropped him to the spot where other BJYM activists were still preparing to launch their protest.