Chhattisgarh Assy adjourns over canecharge issue

Raipur, July 27 (UNI) Amid noisy scenes and slogan-shouting, the Chhattisgarh Assembly was adjourned for ten minutes as the opposition Congress pressed for a judicial probe into a canecharge on National Students Union of India members here.

Raising the issue through a call attention notice, Dr Haridas Bharadwaj, Mr Mohammad Akbar and Mr Ravindra Choubey (all Cong) said the NSUI members were staging a demonstration in front of the Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla University in support of various demands of students.

While replying to questions, Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam rejected the opposition demand for a judicial inquiry and withdrawal of criminal cases registered against NSUI members in connection with the agitation.

Leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma and other Congress MLAs demanded action against the university's vice-chancellor and against the police officers responsible for the canecharge, alleging that the police acted without provocation.

Rejecting the opposition charge, the minister said NSUI members indulged in stone-pelting and damaged vehicles. A few police personnel and other employees sustained injuries.

He admitted that the police used ''minimum force'' to control the agitators and 18 students suffered minor injuries.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the opposition legislators were on their feet raising slogans. Subsequently, Speaker Prem Prakash Pandey briefly adjourned the house.

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