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Police Detain Top Congress Leaders, Workers Clash with Barricades

Chandigarh: Chandigarh police detained several senior Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, on Wednesday as hundreds of party workers marched in protest against alleged changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act by the Central Government.

Those taken into custody included Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh, MPs Varun Chaudhary, Satpal Brahmachari and Jai Prakash, along with several MLAs. All were taken to Sector 3 Police Station after being stopped during the march.

Protesters Block Roads, Raise Slogans Against Centre

Hundreds of Congress workers from across Haryana gathered at the party office in Sector 9, Chandigarh, before launching the protest march. The demonstration led to road blockades in the area, disrupting traffic as protesters raised slogans against the Modi government and waved party flags and placards.

As Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda arrived at the protest site, the crowd intensified its demonstration, accusing the Centre of weakening the rural employment guarantee scheme and undermining workers’ rights.

Police had already erected barricades near the Congress office to prevent the protesters from marching further. However, tensions escalated when some workers attempted to cross or climb the barricades.

Mild Lathicharge, Scuffle Leaves Protesters and Police Shaken

During the confrontation, Chandigarh police resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd and prevent escalation. Several protesters were pushed back during the scuffle.

Congress MLA Vinesh Phogat, who was present at the protest, was seen taking shelter on the footpath amid the chaos. A woman constable also fainted during the confrontation, highlighting the tense situation at the protest site.

The protest reflects growing political confrontation over rural employment policies, with the Congress accusing the Central Government of weakening welfare protections, while authorities maintained that the detentions were necessary to maintain law and order and prevent disruption in the city.