Alleging violence ahead of the three-tier Panchayat elections, the Sadar Sub-Divisional Committee of Congress organized a protest rally on Thursday evening. This protest followed an attack on Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and ten other Congress members, including party candidates, during the nomination submission at Tepania in Udaipur on Thursday afternoon.
The Congress rally began at the Pradesh Congress headquarters in the capital city, traversed various routes, and eventually besieged the Chief Minister’s residence. Leading the protest were District Congress president Tanmoy Roy, leaders Manoranjan Debnath, Shyamal Pal, Sanjib Sutradhar, and Youth Congress leader Md. Sahajan Islam.
Speaking to reporters, Sahajan Islam condemned the violence, calling it unprecedented. He highlighted that Sudip Roy Barman was attacked by BJP supporters, with one Congress candidate suffering serious head injuries due to excessive brick-batting and stone pelting, while several other workers were also injured. He accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to annihilate the opposition but vowed that the Congress would continue to fight.
As Congress leaders and activists gathered outside the Chief Minister’s residence, they criticized the Chief Minister for being a ‘silent spectator’ and for making ‘intimidatory remarks’ that they believe provoked the BJP activists to commit acts of hooliganism and violence. They demanded immediate measures to ensure the safety of opposition candidates and uphold the democratic process. Eventually, a large contingent of police and security personnel dispersed the Congress workers who were laying siege to the Chief Minister’s residence.
