Water cannons used as Congress workers clash with Odisha police over suspension of MLAs; 2 cops hurt

NEW DELHI: A massive clash erupted between police and Congress workers in Bhubaneswar on Thursday as protesters demanded the formation of a committee to probe crimes against women during the past eight months of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha.
The protest turned violent as Congress workers clashed with police personnel, forcing the police to resort to lathi charge and use water cannons to disperse the protesters. The agitation was also in response to the suspension of 14 Congress MLAs from the House.

During the demonstration, Congress members allegedly pelted stones, injuring two police personnel and attempted to set a police van on fire.
On Friday, the party organized a protest march to the Odisha Assembly, pressing for its demands.
Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das asserted that the march was peaceful and criticized the state government for its handling of the protest.

"We have organised a peaceful march to the assembly. Yet, our people are being stopped in every district... They will sit down in protest wherever they are stopped... It is not the job of the police to act as a broker for the BJP government in the state," he said.

"If this amount of force were deployed for the people, then crimes against women would have stopped... At least make an assembly committee to suggest ways to stop crimes against women... If our people are stopped from protesting like this, then the next time, we will not declare the date, time, and venue of our protest, and lakhs of people will surround the Bhubaneswar capital... We have spoken to the DCP, CP, and DGP, yet our people are being stopped," he added.\

Amidst the protests, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy suspended 12 Congress MLAs for seven days on March 26, citing "indiscipline, disrespecting the Chair, and violating rules" after they protested inside the House over the same issue.
Reacting to the demonstration, Odisha Minister Prithviraj Harichandan strongly condemned the violence outside the Odisha Vidhan Sabha, calling it unacceptable.
"The behaviour that they showed yesterday and today is not acceptable. The kind of hooliganism they are showing is not expected from them...," Harichandan told ANI.
He further urged the opposition to collaborate with the government in implementing development initiatives for the state.
"We are appealing through the media for the opposition to join hands with us and let's implement the development process that is designed," he added.
Amid heavy security and barricades on roads leading to the Odisha Assembly, hundreds of Congress workers and leaders gathered on Thursday for a protest rally against the alleged rise in crimes against women in the state.