Supporters of former MP minister block NH 44, violence after denial of ticket

High drama and ruckus was witnessed in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, after the BJP announced its candidate for the assembly by-election from this constituency. Supporters of former minister Narottam Mishra blocked National Highway-44 on the evening of Friday, 10 July after he was denied a ticket. The situation spiralled into violence late at night.

According to the Datia administration officials, the blockade lasted for about 11 hours, and the situation was brought under control only around 5 a.m.. The protest caused a traffic jam stretching 20 to 25 km. Its impact extended beyond Datia to Jhansi, Shivpuri and Gwalior, with Gwalior being the most affected. Several buses and ambulances were also caught in the gridlock.

All-night drama

Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede said the administration tried to persuade the protesters throughout the night but they refused to budge. Around 4 a.m., the police and administration once again appealed to the protesters to clear the road, but the protesters responded by pelting stones.

Wankhede said as the situation deteriorated, the police fired tear gas shells to push back the crowd. The protesters the retreated into an office building and continued to pelt stones at the police from there. Eight police personnel—including the Superintendent of Police (SP), Additional SP, and SDOP—were seriously injured in the violence. Wankhede mentioned that he was also hit on the head by a stone, though he did not sustain serious injury thanks to his helmet.

‘No retaliatory stone-pelting’

According to the administration, several vehicles were vandalised during the violence. The windshields of three to four police vehicles were smashed, several trucks damaged and some vehicles were even overturned. The Collector claimed that throughout the incident, the police neither resorted to a lathi-charge nor engaged in retaliatory stone-pelting.

The administration made every effort to handle the situation peacefully and resorted to using tear gas only when no other option remained. He mentioned that the administration is currently appealing to the protesters to come out and return to their homes.

The trouble began when the BJP announced it was fielding Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the Datia by-election. Mishra and his supporters had expected the party for him. Following the announcement, a large number of supporters took to the streets and began protesting.

It is worth noting that in the 2023 assembly elections, Rajendra Bharti of the Congress had defeated Mishra by a margin of approximately 7,500 votes. The Datia seat fell vacant after Bharti's assembly membership was terminated following his sentencing to three years in prison by a Delhi court in a fraud case. Voting for this seat is scheduled for July 30, and counting will take place on August 3.