AHMEDABAD: The Congress in Gujarat on Thursday alleged that police entered the party's state headquarters in Paldi area here ahead of a protest against price rise planned by its women's wing.
Police carried out searches and took away an effigy of `inflation' that the protesters were going to burn, it alleged.
"Police today entered our premises and searched rooms, baton-charged and behaved badly with women party workers. I warn the BJP that it should stop this hooliganism," Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor said.
Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said the BJP was "killing democracy in Gujarat."
"It is the opposition's duty to highlight the problems faced by people and the Congress had announced countrywide protests against price rise. The BJP government of Gujarat sent hundreds of policemen to our headquarters here to not allow the protest," Khera claimed.
"They entered the premises and searched the media room, store room and the room of the office in-charge. To take away the effigy of "rising prices" from the premises they entered the state headquarters of our party, behaved badly with our women workers, pushed them, lathicharged them and took away the effigy," Khera said.
"Our workers are not going to be cowed down by such use of force," Khera said.
The party will take proper legal action against the searches carried out in office premises "without any documents," Thakor said.
Local police officers did not comment on the issue.