Datia (Madhya Pradesh), July 11 (IANS) Eight police personnel, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) and a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP), were injured after BJP workers protesting the party’s choice of candidate for the Datia Assembly by-election clashed with police and pelted stones in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.

The violence erupted during a protest against the BJP’s decision to field Ashutosh Tiwari instead of former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra for the July 30 bypoll.

Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede said the administration had been trying to persuade protesters to end the highway blockade before the situation turned violent.

“There was a traffic jam from around 5.30 p.m. on Friday. Buses, trucks and even an ambulance were stranded. We tried to convince the protesters, but as soon as we reached the spot, stones were pelted at us. We then used tear gas to disperse the crowd. There was no lathi-charge,” Wankhede told reporters.

He said eight police personnel, including the SP and the Bhander SDOP, were injured in the stone-pelting. Six injured policemen were admitted to the hospital, he added.

The protest led to a traffic jam of nearly 15 to 20 kilometres on the Gwalior-Jhansi highway, which was cleared on Saturday after police dispersed the protesters.

Superintendent of Police Mayur Khandelwal said the situation was now under control. “Nearly 3,000 people tried to disturb the atmosphere in Datia. They blocked roads and disrupted normal movement. The traffic jam has been cleared, and adequate police force has been deployed to maintain law and order,” Khandelwal told IANS.

Officials said several vehicles were damaged during the violence. A police vehicle was overturned, the SDOP’s vehicle was damaged, and the windows of a few trucks were broken in the stone-pelting.

Heavy police deployment has been made around the BJP office and other sensitive areas of the town to prevent any fresh incidents.

The BJP’s decision to deny a ticket to Narottam Mishra has triggered resentment among a section of local party workers.

Several local office-bearers, including Datia district BJP president Raghuveer Saran Kushwah, have resigned in protest.

The Datia Assembly by-election is scheduled to be held on July 30.

–IANS

pd/uk