By IANS,
Shimla : At least 11 Congress activists were injured and 40 detained here Friday after police resorted to baton charge to disperse them while they were blockading the Shimla-Chandigarh highway to protest hike in bus fares and corruption, authorities said.
Earlier, more than 5,000 Congress activists gathered near the state assembly to participate in a state-level protest rally against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
As the rally concluded, some of the protesters moved towards Cart Road, the main highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh, and clashed with the police.
“More than 100 protesters gathered at the highway and tried to block traffic. This led to a clash between police and the protesters. We used force to disperse them,” Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma told reporters.
He said 40 people were detained. Some of the police personnel were also injured in the clash.
However, Congress activists said they were returning from the rally when the police used force against them.
State Youth Congress president Manmohan Katoch, who was also injured in the clash, said: “When Congress workers were returning from the rally, police baton charged them.”