FIR filed against Cong leaders for 'attacking' RSS office

Allahabad: An FIR was lodged by RSS and VHP supporters here on Thursday against a number of Congress leaders, including its state unit vice-president, accusing them of having "attacked" the RSS office here during a protest against former Sangh chief K C Sudarshan's reported comments against Sonia Gandhi.

The FIR was lodged at Civil Lines police station against seven named persons, including UPCC vice-president Shekhar Bahuguna and city Mayor Chaudhary Jitendranath Singh, and 35 unnamed ones under various sections of the IPC relating to rioting and causing hurt voluntarily, police sources said.

"Today's incident was shameful. The most shocking part was that the Mayor was leading the Congress activists who attacked the RSS office this evening," VHP city unit president Pawan Srivastava alleged.

However, when contacted, Mayor Singh rubbished the charge and said, "It was a peaceful and orderly expression of the outrage felt by party members over the unmentionable remarks that the former RSS chief Sudarshan has reportedly made against our supremo Sonia Gandhi".

"In fact, I had gone to the spot only to ensure that no untoward incident took place. And contrary to the allegations being made by the RSS, the VHP and the BJP, we ourselves were attacked by bricks and stones by the Sangh Parivar activists who were livid at our democratic protest," he claimed.

Singh also claimed that UPCC vice-president Shekhar Bahuguna, who has been named in the FIR, "was not even present at the demonstration".

"Bahuguna happened to pass by along with his family members and upon seeing the demonstration, he simply advised the protestors to carry on in a peaceful manner and went away," the Mayor, who is also city Congress chief, claimed. 

He also said that he has submitted a written complaint to the district police chief and "we have been assured of appropriate action against the Sangh members who indulged in violence themselves but are accusing us of having done the same".

"We will not get cowed down by the Sangh Parivar's tricks."