As many as 100 Congressmen including senior leaders were arrested as police baton charged a mob of party workers trying to forcibly enter the Uttar Pradesh Assembly premises during their protest to press for speedy implementation of food security scheme in the state.
Several party activists and media persons were injured in the lathi-charge by police, Congress leaders said.
"As many as 100 Congress workers, including in-charge of party affairs in the state, Madhusudan Mistry, UPCC president Nirmal Khatri and others were arrested under section 151 and taken to the police lines," Inspector General of Police, Law and Order, R K Vishwakarma said.
Member of Parliament P L Punia and MLAs Pradip Mathur and Akhilesh Singh were also among those arrested, Vishwakarma said, adding that some 3,000 partymen marched from the Laxman Mela ground to the Vidhan Sabha.
Congress workers, led by Mistry and Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, 'gheraoed' the state Assembly building over the delay in the implementation of Centre's food security scheme in the state.
Some Congress workers who tried to scale the wall of the state Assembly were pulled down by policemen.
To disperse the protesters, police resorted to mild cane charge injuring several party activists and media persons.
Some of the workers received injuries in the head and were taken to hospital while others tore away posters bearing the pictures of Samajwadi Party leaders in protest.
Following the incident, senior Congress leaders sat in protest against the police action terming it "an attack on their right to protest.
