By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh’s opposition Congress Tuesday threatened to launch a statewide stir, a day after more than a 1,000 tribals were arrested in Raipur for seeking a hike in government job quota.
A delegation of several Congress legislators visited Raipur central jail Tuesday where nearly 1,100 tribals were kept since Monday after they clashed with police while marching towards state assembly to press for several demands including hike in reservations in government jobs.
The Congress delegation, led by the party’s tribal leader Kawasi Lakhma, met the jailed tribals who alleged that police had brutally assaulted them.
Congress state president Nandkumar Patal issued a statement backing up demands of the tribals who form nearly 32 percent of the state’s 2.55 crore population and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime has to “respect the feelings and demands of the tribal community”.
“Police mercilessly beat up peaceful protesters and then put them in jail. This is highly unacceptable. The Congress plans to launch a statewide agitation against the state government on the issue,” he said.