Nursing college scam: Congress leaders, NSUI activists injured during protest

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, NSUI leaders and activists were injured when the police used water cannons and tear gas as they marched to the chief minister's residence on Monday, 15 July, to protest against the nursing college scam.

The National Students Union of India (NSUI) organised a march to protest the nursing college scam, the NEET paper leak controversy and the Agneepath scheme.

Patwari and many other senior Congress leaders and MLAs took part in the march.

Talking to PTI, MP NSUI president Ashutosh Chouksey said, "I have received stitches on my (right) elbow. I sustained injuries in the lathi charge. I will lodge a police complaint tomorrow."

The NSUI's protest will continue in the interest of students and the public, he said.

The police used water cannons and lobbed tear gas shells to prevent protesters from marching to chief minister Mohan Yadav's residence.

"We arrested 30 protesters, and they were released after they furnished bonds," Bhopal City Zone 1 deputy commissioner of police Priyanka Shukla told PTI.

While two tear gas shells and water cannons were used, the police did not use canes to disperse the protestors, she said.

NSUI's Madhya Pradesh coordinator, Ravi Parmar, also one of the whistleblowers in the nursing scam, told PTI that the police showed high-handedness to quell the protest.

"We will lodge a complaint against police action and MP minister Vishwas Sarang for his involvement in the nursing scam," Parmar said.

A large number of protesters gathered at the Congress office before noon and later headed to the chief minister's official residence.

However, the police had put barricades a stone's throw away from the Congress headquarters, and protestors were stopped from marching ahead.

As protesters tried climbing over the barricades and breaking the cordon, the police lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse them.

Activists from the NSUI and Congress were arrested, and women protestors were forced into police vehicles.

Talking to reporters, Patwari said, "The BJP is sending a message to the people of Madhya Pradesh that you vote for us, and we will keep spoiling the lives of your children. It is high time people rise against BJP's tyranny."

On 30 May, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed reinspection of 169 nursing colleges, which were given a clean chit by the CBI in the scam case, in light of two officers of the probe agency being caught allegedly taking bribes from institutions for favourable reports.

The central agency has arrested 13 people in the scam-related cases.