Maharashtra police action: Youth Congress moves rights panel

Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) The Maharashtra Youth Congress on Monday called on the state Human Rights Commission chief demanding stringent action against police personnel who allegedly assaulted its workers during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Solapur on January 9, an official said.

A deleagation led by MPYC President Satyajeet Tambe met SHRC Chairman M.A. Syed and submitted a memorandum seeking immediate suspension of the police personnel concerned and tracing out the main conspirators.

He pointed out that the Constitution has given the freedom of expression to everybody, yet the police assaulted the MPYC workers and filed false cases against them for protesting against Modi's visit.

"Freedom is the soul of democracy and a healthy opposition should be respected. Protests, agitations or protests are the basic rights of human beings which were sought to be violated in the Solapur incident," Tambe said.

He said the opposition is perturbed by the harsh police action in Solapur and that exemplary action must be initiated against the concerned policemen to ensure human rights are not violated in future.

During Modi's trip to inaugurate several mega-projects and lay the foundation stone for others, a group of MPYC and National Students Union of India activists had protested with black flags, released black balloons and raised slogans as the PM's motorcade zoomed past.

Security personnel in plain clothes pounced on the activists, pushed and dragged them, kicked and punched them brutally before rounding them off.

Local Congress legislator Praniti Shinde described the situation in Solapur as akin to Emergency, with even peaceful protests being prevented by the police.