Violence broke out in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia on Saturday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters protesting against denial of assembly ticket to former Home Minister Narottam Mishra clashed with police, injuring several people and disrupting traffic on NH-44.
Angry supporters pelted stones at police, vandalized trucks and created chaos on NH-44. The police resorted to tear gas to disperse the mob and put the BJP leaders under house arrest in the district office.
The agitation came in the wake of the BJP’s announcement on Friday evening of naming Ashutosh Tiwari as the party’s candidate for the Datia by-election, and denying the ticket to Mishra, who had already begun preparations after disqualifying Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti from the assembly.
Nearly 300 district officials to the panchayat level resigned from their posts in protest. The road blockade began on Friday evening and continued till 5 am, causing a traffic jam that extended for 15-20 km towards Jhansi and Gwalior. Although the administration diverted traffic, the stranded passengers faced severe inconvenience.
“The protest turned violent around 4:30 am on Saturday when the administration was trying to clear NH-44 after 11 hours of traffic disruption. To control the situation, police used force and fired tear gas shells. Meanwhile, stone-pelting by protesters damaged several vehicles, and one vehicle overturned,” Datia District Collector Swapnil Wankhede said.
In the encounter, the superintendent of police, sub-divisional police officer, eight police personnel and several of Mishra’s supporters were injured.
Additional forces were deployed to restore order. “We have asked the leaders under house arrest to leave their offices one by one. We do not want to take punitive measures, but they should not go out in groups of five or six people. Road blockades will not be allowed,” the collector said.
Meanwhile, Mishra distanced himself from the media and the party after the nomination was announced.
