The union minister said that among the injured were many senior leaders. (File)
New Delhi:
Strongly condemning the “barbaric treatment” by West Bengal police of BJP workers during their “Nabanna Chalo“Demonstration Thursday, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he had learned that the water sprayed on them was impregnated with chemicals.
“About a lakh of BJP members demonstrated in the direction of the Secretary of State against the wave of recent political killings in Bengal. But the police used barbaric force with lathi-charges and water cannons to stop them, in because of which 1500 were injured, “said the minister. said at a press conference today.
“I was told that the water sprayed during the BJP march was soaked in chemicals because many started to vomit,” Mr. Prasad said.
The union minister said that among the injured were many top leaders such as National Secretary Arvind Menon, Vice President of State Raju Banerjee who had to be hospitalized; North Kolkata President Shivaji Sinha Roy who was shot in the head and Youth Wing President Tejasvi Surya who was roughed up. He also said that many female protesters behaved badly. Stating that the BJP does not believe in violence, he said peaceful protest is “our right”.
“The BJP assures the people of Bengal that the party will continue to peacefully defend the democratic rights of citizens. We will bring change in Bengal as the locals yearn for change and that is why the government is creating an atmosphere of fear, doing pressure on the opposition. “
“We humbly want to say to Mamataji and the West Bengal government that if you think you can stop the BJP with a stick and barbaric police excess, you will not succeed. The BJP strongly condemns this barbaric treatment by the Bengal police of senior party leaders, ”he added.
