Police taking Youth Congress members into preventive custody as they attempt to besiege the BJP office in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Special Arrangement

High drama unfolded outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State head office in Malleswaram on Sunday as hundreds of Youth Congress workers staged a massive protest demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation over the use of force against students protesting against the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on July 20 in New Delhi.

The protesters raised slogans against the BJP and Mr. Shah and attempted to enter the BJP office. The police, who had put up barricades outside the office to prevent the protesters from barging in, stopped them. Tension prevailed at the spot as the protesters pushed against the barricades.

The demonstrators also blocked the road, disrupting traffic in the area. As the protesters attempted to breach the barricades, the police forcibly removed them and took hundreds into preventive custody. They were later released.

Indian Youth Congress National Secretary Tariq Bagawan, along with Youth Congress office-bearers and students, participated in the protest.

The Youth Congress alleged that the police resorted to caning to disperse the protesters in New Delhi. Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president H.S. Manjunath condemned the alleged police action, stating that peaceful protest was a constitutional right. “The lathi charge carried out against Youth Congress workers who took to the streets for the future and justice of students is highly condemnable,” Mr. Manjunath said, alleging that the police action was aimed at suppressing the protesters’ voice.