TNYC members burn Mulayam's effigy on police action

Chennai, Apr 29 (UNI) Members of the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress(TNYC) burnt the effigy of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in front of the party headquarters here today, condemning the police lathicharge on the Youth Congress Rath Yatra cum election campaign in Uttar Pradesh yesterday.

Police rushed to the spot and took into custody hundreds of Youth Congress volunteers, including State General Congress Secretaries Biju Chacko, Saidai Nagarajan, Treasurer Gopalakrishna Yadhav and others. They were later let them off.

In a statement here, TNYC spokesman G R Kathiravan said the Rath Yatra under the leadership of All India Youth Congress(AIYC) President Ashok Dhanwar was moving around the Uttar Pradesh in the last 30 days, but were harassed by the police allegedly on the directions of the SP-lead state government.

He alleged that as per the directions of Mr Mulayam Singh, the Uttar Pradesh Police, who earlier granted permission to the Yatra, intercepted the rally and lathicharged the Youth Congress activists in which a number of the party members, including Mr Dhanwar and TNYC President Mayura Jayakumar, were injured. They were also arrested but later released. It was highly condemnable, he added.

He said later a TNYC delegation led by Mr Chacko, met the Union Labour Welfare Minister Oscar Fernandes, who is camping here and presented a memorandum to him, seeking adequate protection to the Yatra in Uttar Pradesh.

UNI