POLICE USED WATER CANNONS AND LATHI-CHARGE AGAINST CONGRESS DEMONSTRATORS PROTESTING AGAINST HIKE IN THE PRICES OF COOKING GAS, TOLL TAX AND GENERAL PRICE RISE AT UTTAM NAGAR BUS TERMINAL—POLICE ARREST MUKESH SHARMA AND OTHER CONGRESS WORKERS – CONGRESS WORKERS INJURED IN LATHI-CHARGE.

NEW DELHI, July 2-  Protesting against the price hike in cooking gas by the BJP-ruled Central Government, and the hike in toll tax by the Delhi Municipal Corportion, and the soaring prices of vegetables, sugar and other essential commodities, and general price rise, thousands of Congress workers, under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson and senior leader Shri Mukesh Sharma,  held a chakka jam at the Uttar Nagar Bus Terminal. To disperse the peaceful demonstrators, police used water cannons and latchi-charged  the demonstrators, and used force on them. Many demonstrators were injured at the lathi-charge. The demonstrators were addressed by senior leader and ex-MP Shri Sajjan Kumar.  The police then arrested Shri Sajjan Kumar, Shri Mukesh Sharma, youth Congress leader Shri Tasveer Solanki, along with a large number of demonstrators. The demonstrators, including women and youth, were detained at the Tilak Nagar Police Station.

The demonstrators had begun assembling at the Uttam Nagar bus terminal since 10 a.m. The demonstrators, divided into groups on all four sides, shouted slogans such as “”BJP ka dekho khel—mehanga cylinder, mehanga tel, achhe din aye hai; mehanga cylinder, mehanga tel, mehangi chini laye hai; Narendra Modi hai, hai; BJP hai, hai etc”, and began assembling at the bus terminal. The police stopped the demonstrators at Mohan Garden, Janakpuri, Dabri Mode etc to prevent them from reaching the Uttam Nagar bus terminal. The demonstrators, in protest against the police action, then jammed the roads. The demonstrators included  Shri Sajjan Kumar, Shri Mukesh Sharma, former MLAs Bhisham Sharma and Malaram Gangwal, Congress leaders Tasveer Solanki, Deepak Arora, Jai Kishan Sharma, Municipal Councillors Smt. Rajkumari Kokal and Surendra Sethia. Under the leadership of   West Delhi Parliamentary Youth Congress president Rahul Sharma and Ghanendra Bhardwaj, thousands of Congress workers also participated in the demonstration. Fearing that the angry demonstators may stop the metro trains, many metro stations were shut down. The demonstrators also took out a funeral procession of the BJP-led Central Government.

Addressing the demonstrators, Shri Sajjan Kumar and Shri Mukesh Sharma said the BJP-led Central Government, instead of briging good days, have brought such days to the  life of the people that it could have even been imagined. They said the BJP-led Central Government was implementing so many anti-people decisions one after another that the lives of the people have become very miserable. They said  the BJP-ruled Central Government has hiked the prices of essential commodities used by the common people so much that the poor people are being forced to flee Delhi. Both the leaders said the people were getting alienated from the BJP MPs and MLAs. He said if the price rise was not brought under control, the people would gherao   the BJP leaders on the streets. Both the leaders also said the Congress workers will continue their agitation against the stifling policies of the BJP with full force. Shri Mukesh Sharma warned the Central Government that if the hiked prices were not rolled back, the Congress workers will announced a Delhi bandh.