Youth Congress Chief, Others Detained After PM Effigy Row
Key Studies:
- Scuffle Breaks Out During Youth Congress Effigy-Burning Bid
- Police Intervene as Tempers Flare Outside Kolkusma Office
- Heavy Police Deployment Follows Detention of Congress Workers
DHANBAD – A scuffle broke out between Congress and BJP workers on Monday when Youth Congress activists attempted to burn an effigy of the prime minister outside the BJP’s district office.
Hundreds of Congress workers, led by the Youth Congress state president, arrived at the party’s Kolkusma office to stage the effigy-burning programme. BJP workers opposed the move, leading to a heated exchange between the two sides.
The confrontation escalated quickly into pushing and jostling as tempers flared on both sides. Police personnel present at the spot attempted to pacify the two groups, but the situation remained tense for some time.
However, officers eventually took charge and brought the situation under control after the dispute intensified. As a precautionary measure, police detained the Youth Congress state president along with several other Congress workers.
Those detained were later taken to the police station. Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police personnel was deployed around the BJP office and the surrounding area to prevent any further untoward incident.
The incident was reported from the Saraidhela police station area of Dhanbad. Tension prevailed in the locality for some time after the clash, though the police administration claimed the situation was under control.
Both political parties have since issued separate and conflicting reactions to the incident.
The clash comes amid similar protests reported elsewhere in Dhanbad and other parts of the state in recent days. In Jamshedpur, Congress workers had similarly staged a protest and burnt an effigy of the central government over the FIR against Rahul Gandhi, an incident that also drew heavy police presence.
Besides Monday’s clash, political tensions have run high across Jharkhand in recent weeks, with Congress and BJP workers repeatedly clashing over national issues. Meanwhile, similar confrontations have also been reported at educational institutions in neighbouring West Bengal, where student wings of rival parties clashed recently.
