Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari, National Students Union of India (NSUI) national president Varun Chaudhary and several students, including girls were injured on Monday after police used water cannons and lobbed tear gas shells to prevent the Congress workers from proceeding towards the CM House in Bhopal as part of a protest against the alleged massive nursing scam of MP, the NEET paper leak controversy and Agneepath Scheme.
The NSUI organized the protest, and Jitu Patwari along with many other senior Congress leaders and MLAs also took part in it.
A large number of pprotesters had begun gathering at the Congress office from 10 am on Monday.
Subsequently, thousands of protesters proceeded on foot from the MP Congress headquarters, ‘Indira Bhavan’ in Bhopal to gherao MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav’s official residence.
However, the police put barricades on the road outside the Red Cross Hospital, about 200 meters away from the Congress headquarters.
As the protesters tried to cross over the barricades and break the police cordon at about 2 pm, the police used force to control the crowd.
Subsequently, the police cane charged the protesters, lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Jitu Patwari, Varun Chaudhary and several other protesters, including girls, fell on the ground and sustained injuries. Patwari sustained injury on his right elbow with blood oozing out from it.
Police arrested several NSUI protesters and Congress workers. Women police constables and officers also carried away women protesters in the air holding their hands and legs.
Patwari later sat on a dharna on the road. He accused the MP BJP government of ruining the lives of lakhs of students through the private nursing college scam.
“The BJP is sending the message to the people of MP that you vote for us and we will keep ruining the lives of your children. It is high time that the people of the state rose up against the tyranny of the BJP,” Patwari averred. He added that the Congress would lodge an FIR in the matter.