By IANS
Shimla : A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and about a dozen workers of the party were injured Wednesday in a clash with the workers of the Congress here.
Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar and some of his party men had to be rushed to the hospital. They were released after treatment. The BJP, however claimed, many more cadres of their party had sustained injuries.
Congress leaders said that some of their workers were also injured.
The Congress and BJP workers turned violent after disagreement over a spot outside the Himachal Pradesh state legislature assembly building where both the parties planned to hold rallies Wednesday on the last day of the monsoon session.
“A stone hurled at me injured my arm while some 46 other BJP workers have been injured by the Congress workers. A police baton charge followed, which resulted in more injuries to our workers,” Shanta Kumar, now BJP’s general secretary said.
“The district administration had given us permission in advance to hold a rally at the specified spot but even then Congress workers occupied it with the help of police,” Kumar alleged.
Angry BJP workers stopped traffic on national highway 22 for some time after the incident.
Assembly elections are due in the state early next year.