Surat: Congress and BJP workers clashed outside the collector’s office here in Gujarat Thursday when candidates of both the parties arrived there to file their nominations for the Surat Lok Sabha seat, police said.
Some persons from both the sides received minor injuries in the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vidhi Chaudhary said, adding that no FIR was registered yet.
The clash took place soon after BJP candidate Darshana Jardosh and Congress nominee Ashok Adhewada reached outside the collector’s office along with their supporters to file their nomination papers, she said.
However, the police managed to disperse the angry workers without using any force and quickly brought the situation under control, she said.
Videos of the incident recorded by media persons present at the spot showed some persons, including women, of the rival parties engaging in verbal and physical fight.
Later, both the parties blamed each other for the incident.
A woman Congress worker showed her torn dress and said, “Look what the BJP workers did to me. They did not even spare women and tore our clothes.”
However, a BJP activist said, “When Jardosh was heading to the collector’s office to file her papers, the police stopped her cavalcade, but allowed the Congress candidate to go inside with vehicles. When we confronted them, the Congress goons attacked us. We also gave them a befitting reply.”
According to DCP Chaudhary, the BJP workers apparently misunderstood the instructions given by police to Congress workers, who came to the spot in their cars.
“Workers of both the parties arrived outside the collector’s office at the same time. While the cars of BJP workers were already parked outside the office, we asked the Congress workers to move their vehicles to the opposite side after taking a U-turn from near the office,” she explained.
“However, the BJP workers thought we had allowed the Congress vehicles to enter the premises, which was not the case,” the police official said.
PTI