BJYM scuffles with police during protests over rising unemployment

Bhubaneswar: Thousands of members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of BJP, today clashed with police while trying to gherao the State Assembly.

Alleging inefficiency on part of the State government, its policy against youth and rising unemployment, the members of BJYM tried to get close to the premises of the State Assembly.

They took out a rally from the BJP’s party office in Bhubaneswar and marched towards the Assembly in separate groups. However, massive police forces were deployed to prevent them at lower PMG, 120 Battalion Chhak and RBI Chhak. Soon, a scuffle also broke out after police forcibly took the protestors into preventive custody.

#Odisha l Members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) carry out rally to gherao #OdishaAssembly over unemployment issue; police forcibly arrest them near Lower PMG in #Bhubaneswar #WATCH pic.twitter.com/kMIbdDydWV

— OTV (@otvnews) February 7, 2019

Police have reportedly taken hundreds of activists of BJYM including national secretary Sourav Choudhury into preventive custody after the clash. “Police have been suppressing our voice and the Chief Minister has ordered for this. No one can stop the youths from raising their voices,” said Choudhury.

State Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Tankadhara Tripathy, on the other hand, accused the police of behaving like goons. “Naveen Patnaik cannot suppress the voice of youths with the use of force.”

In reaction to the BJYM protest, BJD MLA Puspendra Singh Deo said, “Those who had assured the people of the country to provide employment to two lakh youths should first answer how many promises they have fulfilled. When they (BJP) themselves have cheated the people of the State, how can they talk on employment to youths.”