Bhubaneswar, Jul 21 (PTI): Odisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das led a protest in front of the Lok Bhavan here on Tuesday over the police action against protesters in Delhi a day ago and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in examinations.
This came hours after Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other senior leaders sat on a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence and demanded his resignation over the police action against students protesting on the NEET paper leak issue.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule also joined them later. The opposition leaders were later forcibly removed from the site and detained by the police.
A day ago, thousands of young and angry people converged near Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon session on Monday to push for the resignation of Pradhan, only to be pushed back by lathis and teargas shells.
More than 50 police personnel and protesters were injured during clashes while about 100 people were detained.
Condemning the police action against its leaders, the Odisha unit of the party said, “The government is using police as a shield to suppress the voice of the Congress, but this repressive policy will not stop us.” It also slammed the Union government over the alleged police excess on students, and held a protest here, demanding Pradhan’s resignation, withdrawal of FIR against agitating students in Delhi and a detailed discussion on examination lapses in Parliament.
Police later removed the leaders from the site and took them away in a vehicle.
“Police will get tired by making arrests, but Congress will not be tired in its fight for justice,” Das said and alleged the BJP government was suppressing the voice of students and youths. PTI AAM AAM NSD
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