New Delhi: A case has been filed against Congress leader and former MP Renuka Chowdhury for grabbing a cop's collar during Hyderabad protests. She has been charged under Section 353 of the Indian Penal Code which punishes assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty.
A video of the incident went viral on social media earlier today showing Ms Chowdhury grabbing the collar of a policeman in Telangana on Thursday during the party's protest against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to Rahul Gandhi.
The 43-second video also shows Ms Chowdhury arguing with the policeman. She was then dragged by female police officers towards a police van.
Defending herself, Ms Chowdhury said that she grabbed the collar as she has a problem with her leg and lost her balanace.
"They were pushing me, I've a problem with my leg. I was losing my balance so I fell on him like that. I'll apologise to that man. But I expect Police to apologise to me for manhandling us. Why were there so many men Police around us?" she said.
The protest was organised as part of “Chalo Raj Bhavan” call given by the Congress party to protest Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the ED. He is being questioned by the agency in connection with a money-laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL deal.
"The protest is our right. We will fight for justice. They (ED) are not taking cases of any BJP leaders. They are harassing only Congress people," Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar told news agency ANI.
Bengaluru Police said the Congress protest was against the Karnataka High Court's order. "High Court had earlier ordered that protests will not be held anywhere except Freedom Park. We conveyed it to them. They gave us in writing about protest but we rejected it. We conveyed it to them in the morning too. If they proceed, we will take them into preventive custody," Bheemashankar S Guled, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru East told ANI.