Workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by its Gujarat unit president Gopal Italia, barged into the state BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar to register their protest over a recent episode of recruitment exam paper leak, and clashed with activists of the ruling party on Monday, leaving an unspecified number of people injured, said police.
Over 20 members of the AAP, including Italia, were detained by the Gandhinagar police after the incident at Gujarat BJP headquarters 'Kamalam', where police resorted to cane charge to control the situation, they said. Before police rushed to the spot and took control of the situation, BJP and AAP workers engaged in a violent altercation, which resulted in head injuries, said Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Rana, without disclosing the number of those who were wounded.
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Meanwhile, AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi, who was part of the protesting group, was taken to Gandhinagar civil hospital for medical check-up after some women workers of the BJP alleged he misbehaved with them in an inebriated state, said another police official. "AAP workers forcibly entered 'Kamalam' after breaking the main gate, which led to an altercation between BJP and AAP members. Some persons got injured in that altercation. We then rushed to the spot and detained over 20 AAP workers, including women. No one was injured in our lathi-charge," said Rana.
He said a decision to lodge an FIR against Italia, Gadhvi and others will be taken after a detailed investigation. In a video shared on the Facebook page of the Gujarat AAP, Italia and Gadhvi along with other party workers were seen storming the state BJP headquarters near Gandhinagar demanding the resignation of Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB) chairman Asit Vora over the paper leak incident.
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AAP workers, including women, sat on the stairs of the main building and raised slogans against the BJP and its government, claiming though Vora was "solely" responsible for the leak of a question paper related to recruitment of head clerks, he was not yet removed from the post as he was associated with the ruling party. Police have already arrested eight persons who were allegedly involved in accessing the paper before the exam and selling it to candidates.
Following the altercation at Kamalam', the Gandhinagar police rushed to the spot and detained AAP workers. Some AAP workers showed their injury marks to the media claiming they were hit by police and BJP workers. In a video aired by a news channel, police officials can be seen saving Gadhvi and a few others from BJP workers and hiding them in a security cabin before taking them away in a police van. In another video, AAP's women workers were seen engaged in an altercation with BJP leaders Shraddha Rajput and Shraddha Jha.
"Some AAP workers and leaders came drunk and misbehaved with us. They hit us on our back using sticks. Though we were polite with them, these AAP created a ruckus and uttered derogatory words for our leaders," alleged Shraddha Jha.
-With PTI Inputs
