Congress workers staged a demonstration here today accusing Odisha police of being biased and harsh on opposition political parties at "the behest of ruling BJD" as they protested slapping of attempt to murder charge on some youth leaders.
Top Congress leaders, who gathered here along with thousands of party workers to protest alleged police highhandedness, particularly against booking of some Youth Congress leaders under section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC, gave a memorandum to Additional DG B N Jha.
The YC activists had intercepted the Chief Minister's cavalcade at Bhubaneswar last month and had pelted eggs onto his car. Congress leaders said YC leaders were trying to demonstrate and draw the attention of the Chief Minister towards the growing unemployment situation in the State.
Jha denied the charges saying that policemen have been asked to be neutral and impartial.
As planned, many senior Congress leaders of the State under the leadership of PCC chief Prasad Harichandan reached the city along with their supporters. A massive rally marched towards the police headquarters from Mata Matha after holding a protest rally.
Anticipating the situation, police had made heavy deployment of force in the city. Sources said around 30 platoons of police (around 1000 personnel) supervised by hundreds of officers had thrown a three-tier security around the police headquarters. Later a six-member team of leaders headed by PCC chief submitted a protest memorandum to Jha, who is in charge of law and order wing of the State police.
Congress leaders threatened that today's gathering in Cuttack is certainly a show of strength and unity of the party and if police continued with its prejudicial stance, similar demonstrations would be held across the State.
Speaking to newsmen after the Congress demonstration, Jha said the Bhubaneswar matter is already in court's jurisdiction and during investigation it would be clear whether cases have been registered under appropriate sections of relevant laws or not.
