COURTESY HT DEC 26

BKU resorts to vandalism at BJP function on Vajpayee anniv
A group of farm union activists removes barricades the police had put up on the road leading to the venue as a preventive measure

BJP workers arguing with police personnel when they were asked to leave the venue after the farmer union activists disrupted their function in Bathinda on Friday. Sanjeev Kumar/HT
Vishal Joshi

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

BATHINDA :  Activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) disrupted the birth anniversary function of late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Bathinda on Friday by ransacking a makeshift venue prepared by the district unit of the BJP.

The BKU activists said they did so in protest against the three farm laws passed by the BJP-led central government.

BJP workers had gathered near Urang Palace in the morning and made arrangements for viewing the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national address to farmers on the occasion.

Police had barricaded Amrik Singh Road that leads to the venue and diverted traffic as a preventive measure but the group of BKU activists forcibly removed the barricades and disrupted the BJP function.

BJP district president Vinod Kumar Binta said chairs were smashed and the BJP activists were attacked by the mob.

“The police remained a mute spectator. Instead of responding to the situation, they asked us to leave the venue.

In the melee, a few of our party members suffered injuries,” Binta said.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said the police managed to control the situation in time and no one suffered serious injuries.

The BKU activists started a dharna in protest against the saffron party’s function.

The BJP supporters refused to vacate the venue and observed a sit-in against the disruption of the function, saying they only organised it in memory of the late prime minister and to listen to Modi’s address.