Congress workers clash with police outside Odisha state assembly

India Today

Congress workers clashed with police outside the Odisha state assembly in a protest that turned violent. Security forces used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. The protest erupted over the suspension of 12 Congress MLAs by the assembly speaker.

Transcript

00:00Let's get to images now of a protest that turned rather ugly in Odisha.

00:10This was a protest by Congress workers who attempted to gear out the assembly and it

00:14led to a clash with police officials as water cannons was also used to disperse the mob

00:19that had gathered.

00:21This was over the suspension of 12 Congress MLAs by the speaker in Odisha that led to

00:26this particular protest and so Congress workers gather in large numbers to condemn this suspension.

00:32These are the images that you see on your screens of the water cannons being used to

00:35deploy the protesters.

00:38Cops dressed in bright gear.

00:40We understand that there were also clashes that broke out during these protests in Bhubaneswar.

00:50Suryagni is joining us with more details on this.

00:52Suryagni, as we beam these images of the Congress protest, run us through exactly why

00:57these Congress workers attempted to gear out the assembly.

01:00Well, you know, Akshita, it goes back two days prior where 12 initially, the Congress

01:07has 14 MLAs in the Odisha assembly.

01:11Initially 12 of the MLAs were suspended and later two more.

01:15So total 14 of them have been suspended by the Odisha speaker allegedly because they

01:22were creating a ruckus inside the well of the assembly.

01:25That is the reason that has been given out by the assembly.

01:28Now following which the Congress has hit the streets of Bhubaneswar against the incumbent

01:35BJP government.

01:36You know, time and again we had seen how the Congress has claimed that they are not being

01:42allowed to raise issues in the assembly of Odisha and something on those lines also

01:49happened on Monday where initially, as I mentioned, 12 of them were firstly suspended

01:55and then two more.

01:56So following which this protest was called by the Congress workers and leaders in Bhubaneswar

02:03and we see how the police, you know, stopping them and using, you know, water cannons to

02:08disperse them.

02:09All right.

02:10Thanks Suryagni for joining us with all of those details.

02:17Okay, as we get to these images, you can see scores, hundreds of Congress workers really

02:23gathering in large numbers in Bhubaneswar, continuing their stir and this despite clashing

02:29with cops, water cannons being used, they attempted to march towards the assembly.

02:35Images on the right of your screen show these workers pushing past barricades and moving

02:40straight across with the assembly currently underway, the area is a high security zone,

02:45which is why these Congress workers weren't allowed close by.

02:4812 Congress MLAs were suspended for creating ruckus and that's what's led to this showdown

02:55on the streets of Bhubaneswar.

02:57As Congress workers in massive numbers coming together, you see these images of the police

03:01cracked down as well as cops in right gear were seen chasing the protesters away.

03:08But vandalism at its peak there on the streets of Bhubaneswar as Congress workers are seen

03:13hurling chairs, throwing chairs at the police officials, pushing past barricades, attempting

03:19to get closer to the assembly.

03:21The cops have been struggling to bring the situation currently under control, dressed

03:25in right gear.

03:26You can see how in fact they were pushing away these protesters, but to no avail.

03:32Let's bring back Suryagni on this broadcast, ugly images really emerging of that protest.

03:36Suryagni, you can see chairs being hurled at police officials, pushing through, pushing

03:43past the barricades as well.

03:45These protesters going on a rampage.

03:47Well, you know, as I mentioned that this protest was called by the Congress, in the form of

03:55all of their MLAs now, and we can see a heavy crowd, you know, protesting against the BJP

04:03government in front of the assembly.

04:05You know, no crowd is ever allowed by any administration to come across certain government

04:12buildings where, you know, government business takes place.

04:15The assembly is one of them, irrespective of the state, nowhere in the country, you

04:20know, these marches are allowed, be it Bengal, Delhi or Bhubaneswar as we are looking at

04:26now.

04:27As you mentioned, Dr. Singh, yes, the protest did take an ugly turn, and maybe that's the

04:35reason why there were inputs of the Bhubaneswar police, the Odisha police, that Singh's might

04:42take an ugly turn, and there might be violence, and that's the reason why, you know, a huge

04:47deployment of the Bhubaneswar police was declared, especially police of the, you know, in their

04:55right here, that is the Rapid Action Force was also deployed.

04:57Water cannon was initially used to disperse the crowd, and that is something that we have

05:04been seeing, that, you know, to disperse the crowd, water cannon was initially used,

05:08but the crowd, you know, as the crowd was still present, the police had to, you know,

05:13use force to make sure that the situation comes under control.

05:18It's, the protest is still going on, and it has to be seen how, you know, the police

05:23administration brings the situation under control.

05:27All right, thanks already for joining us with those details.

05:29We'll track the latest updates that come in on the story.

05:33Dramatic images from Bhubaneswar of the Congress protest,

05:37and an ugly stir there as they seem clashing with police officials.

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