BJP leaders detained during protest march towards Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad

Police stopped a BJP protest march towards Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad and detained several party leaders amid tight security. Mild tension prevailed during the demonstration, while a television channel reporter sustained injuries after a stone was allegedly hurled.

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at Nampally on Wednesday afternoon when BJP and Congress party workers simultaneously attempted to take out rallies and head towards each other’s state party headquarters.

The clash between the workers of both parties resulted in the police using mild force to disperse them, even as stone-pelting incidents were reported.

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The BJP party workers who gathered at their State party headquarters attempted to take out a rally to Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress party headquarters here, protesting the sit-in staged by Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in front of the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi.

However, police personnel, who had erected barricades on the road leading to Gandhi Bhavan, stopped the rally and took several BJP leaders and workers into preventive custody. They were later shifted to a nearby police station. Police also resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse BJP workers after some protesters who attempted to break through the barricades and enter the Congress office.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders and workers started from Gandhi Bhavan for Lok Bhavan at Somajiguda, expressing solidarity with the protest staged by their leaders in Delhi. Tension escalated when BJP and Congress workers headed for a face-off and police intervened.

The situation escalated when a group of Congress workers reached near Prohibition and Excise office, where police had placed barricades to prevent them from moving towards the BJP State office. Some Congress workers allegedly hurled stones towards the BJP office, following which BJP workers were seen standing guard with sticks to prevent any attempt to enter the premises.

During the protests, a television channel reporter covering the demonstration sustained injuries after a stone was allegedly thrown. He was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.

The police later brought the situation under control by restricting the movement of protesters and deploying additional forces in the area.