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Supporters of the BJP and the Congress clashed in Bhilai city in Durg district of Chhattisgarh over the unveiling of a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 98th birth anniversary on Sunday, following which police had to beef up security arrangements and impose norms related to unlawful assembly in the area.
The scuffle began when BJP workers, led by party MP Vijay Baghel, arrived at Atal Smriti Garden in Camp 2 area in Bhilai to unveil the statue and a group of Congressmen opposed the event saying permission had not been taken from the district collector.
The BJP workers said they were celebrating Vajpayee’s birth anniversary in the garden for the last five years. However, a local Congress leader said the BJP had not followed laid-down norms and hence, the statue unveiling must not be permitted.
The argument snowballed into a physical fight following which additional police force was rushed to the spot to disperse the workers. The police also sealed the garden to avoid further ruckus.
“The BJP contingent had permission from Bhilai Steel Plant but not from the district collector. Police kept the statue in a safe place and sealed the garden in the presence of the sub-divisional magistrate,” SP Abhishek Pallava told PTI. Meanwhile, IPC Section 145 (joining or continuing to be part of unlawful assembly despite it being commanded to disperse) has been imposed in the area, the SP added.
After the incident, MP Baghel criticised the Congress for opposing the unveiling of the statue. He said the garden’s land belongs to the Bhilai steel plant. On demand of the residents in 2019, the authorities had written to the steel plant authorities seeking permission to unveil the statue.
“The Congress is insulting the great leader who gave statehood to Chhattisgarh. The Congress members serve only one family… They are so ungrateful that they are resorting to violence and stone pelting to stop unveiling of Atal ji’s statue,” said Baghel.
With PTI inputs
