HP CM orders magisterial inquiry into clash between Cong youth workers, police

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the clash between youth Congress workers and police outside the state Assembly here on Friday.

However, opposition Congress members demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter and staged a walkout from the Assembly.

Speaking during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the House, the chief minister claimed that Congress youth workers threw stones and lathis at police personnel during their demonstration on Friday.

Police used water cannons to disperse them. Despite this "I am ready for a magisterial inquiry, as in a democracy the views of the opposition are taken care of by the ruling party", Thakur said.

"We want the proceedings of the House to run uninterrupted," he said.

The Congress had claimed that a dozen of their youth workers suffered injuries in the incident, while the chief minister today said nine policemen, including an additional superintendent of police, were hurt during the clash.

Thakur said if Speaker Rajeev Bindal allows, they were ready to discuss the issue in the House.

Members of the youth Congress were allowed to hold demonstrations between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm by the Shimla deputy commissioner, but its workers held the protest at 3.30 pm, he said.

Some of them climbed barricades and started throwing stones and lathis at police personnel. Nine policemen were injured, he said, adding that in response, police had to use water cannons to disperse the protesters.

On a photo being circulated by Congress workers on social media sites, claiming it was of the Friday clash, Thakur said it was an old one and that of a woman injured in an attack by a group in Rajasthan.

Raising slogans in support of their demand for judicial inquiry, Congress MLAs entered the Well as soon as the house began at 2 pm. The speaker adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.

When the House reassembled, Bindal said four members of the opposition, including Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, wanted to discuss the issue under rule 67 of the Assembly.

Police resorted to unprovoked lathicharge on youth Congress workers and there should be a judicial inquiry into the matter, Agnihotri said, claiming that he had a CD regarding the clash.

He demanded that the footage on the CD should be screened in the Assembly.

The Congress MLA said appropriate action should be taken against those responsible for the lathi-charge.

Sukhu claimed that the situation took an ugly turn when a policeman threw a stone at a youth Congress worker.

Opposition members entered the Well when BJP MLA Rakesh Pathania was speaking.