Oppn leaders trying to show Shah black flags detained
FIR lodged against 20 AAP workers for blocking route of Shah’s cavalcade
Police on Friday detained leaders of major opposition parties when they tried to show black flags to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on the last day of his three-day visit that ended on a stormy note.
The police registered an FIR (first information report) against 20 AAP protesters for blocking the route of Shah’s cavalcade.
The day started with Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Tanwar taking out a protest march to show black flags to Shah and CM Manohar Lal Khattar, demanding release of cow activist Sant Gopal Das from jail. Das, who has been sitting on a hunger strike for the past 65 days, was on Thursday arrested for dumping a dead bull at the venue of BJP’s event to draw Shah’s attention to his demands.
As Tanwar and his supporters reached Ashoka Mod in the city, heavy police force stopped them by putting up barricades. When they tried to cross the barricades, the police detained them. Tanwar, former home minister Subhas Batra and nearly 100 Congress supporters were taken to Sunaria in two Haryana Roadways buses. In all, 135 party workers were detained, the police said.
As many as 60 activists of INSO, the student wing of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), were detained from Maharshi Dayanand University when they reached in large numbers to show black flags to Shah ahead of his address at the university auditorium. INSO president Pradeep Deswal said they hold Shah and BJP leaders responsible for the killing of youths during the 2016 Jat agitation in Haryana, and demanded an apology from him for making “defamatory remark” against veteran INLD leader former Haryana CM Devi Lal.
Later in the day, a group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers trying to show black flags to Shah outside an event venue were detained for creating ruckus and shouting anti-government slogans. Another group of AAP workers led by state convener Naveen Jaihind started marching towards Shah's venue to show him black flags. They, too, were detained from outside their office and taken to the Urban Estate police station. In all, 75 AAP activists were detained.
The AAP also demanded release of Gopal Das and loan waiver for Haryana farmers. The activists of all the parties were released in the evening after Shah left for Delhi.
The 20 workers booked for blocking the route of Shah’s cavalcade were yet to be arrested, said Rohtak superintendent of police (SP) Pankaj Nain.