Police 'cane-charge' protesters in MP

Police allegedly cane-charged a group of protesters near the venue of a BJP-organised event, scheduled to be attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here Tuesday.

However, police claimed that they did not cane-charge the protesters, but only drove away those who tried to cross the barricades.

The protesters belonging to SAPAKS Samaj (Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhayak Kalyan Samaj), a fledgling political party constituted to fight against reservation, were staging the protest on Rewa Road, near BTI Ground here, where the BJP's convention was organised.

Holding black flags, SAPAKS Samaj activists staged protests against the recent amendments in the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The protesters also released black balloons in the air.

Samaj's district president Alok Tripathi said activists staged protest against the amendments in SC/ST Act in a "democratic manner".

"Our protest was peaceful. We were demonstrating against the recent amendments in the SC/ST Act besides demanding reservation on the basis of person's financial status. Police used force against the protesters," he said.

Police, however, denied that they used force to disperse the protesters.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Gautam Solanki said police drove away the protesters, who were trying to cross the barricades.

"We had put strong security arrangements in place. Police drove away those who tried to cross the barricades. Police didn't cane charge the protesters," Solanki claimed.

Meanwhile, the Congress also organised a protest against the chief minister over the fuel price hike.

District Congress working president Rajbhan Singh Solanki said the police tried to suppress the agitation by using force.

"We were protesting against the rising prices of petroleum products and also demanding to bring these products under the purview of GST," he said.