Cops foil Cong bid to gherao C'garh Assembly

Police today foiled the bid of Congress workers and leaders to lay siegeto the Chhattisgarh Assemblyhere on various issues during the ongoing monsoon session.

At least 71 Congress workers, including state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, senior party MLA Satyanarayan Sharma and Rajya Sabha MP Chhaya Verma, were arrested under preventive measures while they were marching towards the Assembly.

Police had installed barricades at Mandi gate near Lodhi Para chowk to stop the protesters, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police Prafulla Thakur told PTI.

The arrested persons were later released unconditionally, he said.

In view of the protest, massive security was put in place at different places, including in theassemblyand on the roads leading to the complex, to avoid any untoward situation, the ASP said.

Meanwhile, Congressleaders claimed that over 10,000 people participated in the protest held under the aegis of the Raipur district Congress.

Issues like rising prices of petrol and diesel, safety of women, suicides by farmers, unemployment, irregularities in distribution of land holding titles, poor law and order situation were raised during the protest, they said.

Congress leaders claimed that some of them were injured as police used force against them during the protest.