Plaque with Chouhan's name found defaced in MP; BJP protests

The plaque at a railway overbridge here bearing the name of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was found defaced Friday, triggering a protest by the BJP.

The main opposition party alleged the defacement was the handiwork of Congress workers, a charge denied by the ruling party.

Unidentified persons threw paint over Chouhan's name on the plaque at the Vir Savarkar Railway Overbridge, which was dedicated to the public in April 2016 when he was chief minister, police said, citing a complaint filed by the BJP.

BJP activists staged a protest at the bridge alleging Congress workers were involved in the act of defacement.

"I submitted a complaint in the Habibganj Police Station after the protest at Savarkar Bridge. We have also cleaned the plaque.

"We don't believe in this kind of politics," said Surendra Nath Singh, Bhopal district unit BJP president.

A police official said they are looking into the complaint.

Singh, a former MLA, blamed the Congress for the incident and warned of a retaliation.

"We will also retaliate if such an act continues in the future," he said.

The Congress, however, denied any role.

"We condemn this incident. Strict action should be taken against the people involved in this act. This seems like an act by some mischievous people," said Congress Media Cell coordinator Narendra Saluja.

"We don't believe in this kind of politics," he added.