PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Dehradun police on Monday registered a case against unidentified persons after around 200 to 300 people allegedly blocked roads at Darshanlal Chowk and Clock Tower during a protest by Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad against alleged love Jihad and land Jihad in Uttarakhand.
According to the police, the protesters had gathered from the Ranger Ground area without permission and reached Darshanlal Chowk at around 11 AM on Sunday. They raised slogans and stopped traffic from all directions, causing heavy congestion in the city.
Police officials present at the spot tried to convince the protesters to submit their memorandum peacefully to the administration. However, the protesters reportedly insisted on meeting a senior officer and refused to leave when informed that the officer was not available.
Police said the crowd then blocked the roads, affecting daily commuters and causing inconvenience to women, children, patients and people travelling for urgent work. To manage the situation, police diverted traffic to alternate routes. This reportedly angered the protesters further, who later moved towards Clock Tower and again blocked roads from all sides. The protest continued for nearly one and a half hours, leading to chaos in the busy market area. Ambulances and sick people were also caught in the traffic jam, though police later helped clear their way through alternative routes. Following the incident, police said a case is being registered against unidentified persons under relevant legal sections for blocking public roads and disturbing law and order.
