Narottam Mishra's supporters clash with cops, block NH after poll ticket snub

Datia in Madhya Pradesh was on the boil after supporters of former Home Minister Narottam Mishra went on a rampage, clashing with police and blocking NH-44, after the BJP denied him a ticket for the upcoming bypoll. On Friday, the BJP named Ashutosh Tiwari, an RSS man with wide organisational experience, as its candidate, dealing a major setback to six-time MLA Mishra.

The setback was met with anger on the streets. On Friday night, thousands of Mishra's supporters blocked NH-44, causing a massive traffic jam stretching nearly 15 km. Vehicles were stuck on the highway for nearly 12 hours.

DATIA SEES MASSIVE PROTEST, NH-44 BLOCKED

The protest turned violent on Saturday morning after Mishra's supporters hurled stones at police personnel who arrived to clear the highway.

The Datia Superintendent of Police (SP) and more than six cops sustained serious injuries in the attack.

Datia SP Mayur Khandelwal said over 3,000 protesters blocked the highway and forcibly shut down markets around 6 pm on Friday. Repeated appeals to clear the highway fell on deaf ears.

"Around 4 am, the mob suddenly began throwing stones at the police team," Khandelwal told ANI. The police initially used tear gas to disperse the crowd, but the situation deteriorated further. The police then fired tear gas shells and resorted to a mild lathi-charge.

"Some people have been detained, while others have been warned to surrender," the SP said. On Saturday, Section 163 was imposed in Datia, prohibiting large gatherings.

BJP leader Bhanu Singh, speaking to Aaj Tak, claimed the protesters were demonstrating peacefully and accused the police of high-handedness.

"We were peacefully urging the BJP leadership to give the Datia ticket to Narottam Mishra. But the police acted brutally and confined BJP workers inside the BJP office. Until Mishra gets the ticket, we will continue the highway blockade," Singh said.

BJP FACES REBELLION, RESIGNATIONS

As the unprecedented scenes played out in Datia, the BJP also faced internal rebellion.

Datia BJP district president Raghuveer Singh Kushwah and all district office bearers submitted a collective resignation to state party president Hemant Khandelwal. Kushwah said the decision to give the bypoll ticket to Tiwari was one-sided and taken without consulting the party workers.

The letter warned that if Mishra was not announced as the BJP candidate within 24 hours, they would resign from the party's primary membership and escalate their protest.

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