Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s convoy attacked by mob during campaign

Bhopal: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s convoy was attacked by a mob in a village in Ratlam district late on Monday night when he was undertaking his “Jan Ashirvard Yatra”.

The incident took place in the village of Kallukheda when a group of demonstrators suddenly turned violent and started pelting stones at Mr Chouhan’s convoy passing through the route as part of the chief minister’s “Jan Ashirvad Yatra”, a campaign launched by him to highlight achievements of his government ahead of year-end assembly elections. The chief minister however had escaped unhurt. “At least three police personnel including Ujjain district additional superintendent of police (ASP) Abhishek Diwan were injured in the incident. Three police vehicles escorting the chief minister’s convoy were damaged”, a senior police officer here said on Tuesday.

BJP on Tuesday condemned the attack on chief minister’s convoy and saw hand of Congress in the incident.

“Congress had sponsored the attack on the chief minister’s convoy since the Opposition party has panicked over Jan Ashirvad Yatra drawing huge response from people across the state”, Union minister and campaign committee chairman of BJP in MP Narendra Singh Tomar said here on Tuesday.

Incidentally, the chief minister on Tuesday faced protests from anti-SC, ST Act demonstrators at Satna in MP when he was addressing a convention of other backward class (OBC) communities.

Police resorted to baton charge to disperse them, leading to injuries to several protesters. Mr Chouhan later lamented that Congress was targeting him because he hailed form backward class.

“ A backward class chief minister is not acceptable to Congress”, he said, adding, “I will hail the stone throwers with flowers”. MP Congress chief Kamal Nath however described the attack as manifestation of people’s anger against the state BJP government.

“Similar attacks will take place in coming days”, he said and denied the charges that his party was involved in the incident.

“Congress does not indulge in stone pelting politics”, he observed.