Mulayam's men up in arms over leaders' manhandling

Agencies Posted: Jan 09, 2008 at 0000 hrs
Lucknow, January 9: Police fired tear gas shells and water canons to disperse agitating Samajwadi Party workers who were trying to proceed towards the Assembly to protest against alleged manhandling of senior party leaders, including party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother.

Hundreds of SP workers led by party youth wing president Akhilesh Yadav tried to force their way to the Assembly for holding a dharna when they were stopped by a strong contingent of police near the SP office this morning.

The SP activists were protesting against Tuesday night's incident when several party leaders, including state unit president Shivpal Singh Yadav, were allegedly manhandled.

As the SP workers tried to break the barricade, the police fired tear gas shells and water canons to disperse them.

Yadav and other leaders later sat on a dharna on Vikramaditya Marg near the party office in protest against the police action.

SP workers ransacked shops and burnt vehicles in Etawah, Mainpuri, Meerut, Aligarh, Faizabad and Bareilly while holding demonstrations.

Unconfirmed reports said three students were allegedly hit by bullets when police opened fire to disperse the agitating students in the SP chief's native village Saifai.

One of them later succumbed to his injuries.

Shivpal Singh Yadav and some SP leaders were allegedly manhandled by police when they tried to gheraoed the SSP office in Lucknow on Tuesday night to protest against lathicharge on party's student wing activists at a college.