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A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protest against Congress leaders over their demonstration near the Prime Minister's official residence in New Delhi ended in a scuffle with Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists, who were already holding a hunger strike outside the Deputy Commissioner's Office at CTO Chowk in Shimla on Wednesday.
The BJP had organised a protest condemning demonstrations by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, in the national capital. Simultaneously, SFI activists were continuing their third-day hunger strike against the alleged repeated leaks of the NEET examination paper and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As BJP workers and SFI activists came face-to-face near the Deputy Commissioner's office, a scuffle broke out, prompting police personnel to intervene and bring the situation under control. Both sides blamed each other for triggering the confrontation. SFI Himachal Pradesh State Secretary Vivek Birsanta alleged that BJP workers attacked students who were peacefully proceeding towards the Deputy Commissioner's office as part of their daily protest. "SFI has been on a hunger strike for the past two days against the repeated NEET paper leaks. We were peacefully moving towards the Deputy Commissioner's office when BJP workers attacked our students. The BJP is afraid because students have started raising their voices against its anti-student policies. We will continue our peaceful agitation and will not leave until an FIR is registered against those responsible," Vivek Birsanta said. On the other hand, BJP Himachal Pradesh Vice-President Balbir Verma alleged that the BJP's protest had been organised with prior permission and accused Congress supporters of attempting to disrupt the programme. "The BJP had obtained permission from the district administration to hold this protest between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm. However, people were sent to disrupt our peaceful demonstration. We condemn attempts to spread unrest and demand accountability for those responsible. The Chief Minister should focus on Himachal's issues instead of supporting Congress protests," Balbir Verma said. Verma also criticised Congress over the protests in New Delhi, alleging that public property had been damaged during demonstrations and calling for an investigation into the incidents. The confrontation in Shimla comes amid heightened political tensions following nationwide protests by opposition parties and student organisations over the NEET paper leak issue and recent political developments. There was no immediate statement from the district administration or the police on the incident, and it was not immediately known whether any FIR had been registered at the time of filing this report. (ANI)
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