BHUBANESWAR: Workers of BJP youth wing and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed during a protest by the former against the alleged anti-Hindu remarks made by Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi during a debate in Lok Sabha, in front of the Congress Bhawan here on Tuesday.
The incident took place when members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) were protesting the statements made by Rahul at Master Canteen square by raising slogans against the Congress leader. As the Congress Bhawan is located near Master Canteen square and there is huge poster of Rahul Gandhi in front of it, some protestors allegedly took shots at it using cow dung.
Soon, NSUI workers who were inside the Congress Bhawan reached the spot and countered the BJYM members. A clash broke out between the two groups with both hurling stones and cow dung at each other, turning the area turned into a battlefield of sorts.
A free-for-all continued till several platoons of police force were rushed to the spot. Senior officers including Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh arrived at Master Canteen square and brought the situation under control. The DCP told mediapersons that a BJP worker was injured in the clash. Adequate police force has been deployed to maintain law and order, he added.
A BJYM worker alleged that NSUI activists first started throwing stones and cow dung at them following which they retaliated. Strongly criticising Rahul for his alleged statement against Hindus, he said the protest will continue across the state till the Congress leader took back his words.
Meanwhile, BJP and Congress have lodged separate complaints with Capital police in this regard. After the BJYM workers left the place, Congress workers were seen cleaning the poster of Rahul in front of the Congress Bhawan.