Police cane charge SP protesters
LUCKNOW: Several protesters, including female members of Samajwadi Party, were injured when police resorted to cane charge in Hazratganj area of Lucknow on Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the protesters tried to march towards Lok Bhawan where chief minister Yogi Adityanath was holding a state cabinet meeting.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for medical care. Some of the injured have reportedly received serious injuries. “Some of the protesters despite our warning tried to move towards Lok Bhawan. This forced us to use minor force to maintain law and order,” said station house officer(SHO) of Hazaratganj police station Anand Shahi. The police refused denied any injuries to the protesters. Before the incident flared up, members of Samajwadi women wing and Yuvjan Sabha carried out a protest at Gandhi Samadhi near GPO park. “We had gathered to protest against the rise in crime against women in the state and inflation,” said Geeta Singh, member of Samajwadi Party Women wing who participated in the protest. “The protest was conducted peacefully yet we were targeted by police,” she said.
A few of the protesters later reached Raj Bhawan to submit a complaint against the use of force. “Such blatant use of force by police on peaceful protesters is not called for in democracy. We have raised this issue in our complaint to the governor,” Geeta Singh said.