By IANS,
Chandigarh : Navjot Singh Sidhu, MP and former cricketer, was arrested here Monday along with a few supporters for protesting against rising inflation.
The protestors, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Amritsar, had to face a mild baton charge and streaming water cannons aimed by the police as they tried to take their protest from the Sector 16 cricket stadium here to the governor’s residence.
“We have arrested Sidhu. Some other protestors have also been detained,” Additional Superintendent of Police Madhur Verma said.
The protestors tried to break the police cordon but the force retaliated with cane charge and water cannons. In the melee, the turbans worn by Sidhu and some other Sikh protestors fell off.
“The way that our protest has been handled shows that the intentions of the government are bad. We wanted to walk peacefully for a little distance but the police did not allow us to do that,” Sidhu said at the Sector 17 police station where he was taken after his arrest.
Sidhu criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for “its wrong policies”, which he claimed had led to inflation.
“They talk of the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) whereas the prices are now beyond the reach of most Indians. This government has no right to be in power,” Sidhu said.