Jabalpur: 52 people were injured when a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led demonstration at Shakti Bhavan, headquarters of Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB), turned violent on December 11 forcing the police to use mild 'lathicharge' to disperse the mob.

The BJP workers, led by state general secretary Prahlad Patel and deputy Speaker in state Assembly Ishwar Das Rohani, were demonstrating to press for four-point demands including issuance of 'white paper' on difference between power demand and supply and withdrawal of recent hike in power tariff.

Trouble started when the police took a long time to arrest the BJP workers who courted arrest. A section of demonstrators grew restive and started pelting stones at the cops, official sources said.

Police lobbed 21 teargas shells and used water cannons to disperse the stone pelting mob, which also damaged 13 vehicles including four of police. However, when the move failed, police had to resort to mild 'lathicharge', they said.

An executive magistrate, three deputy superintendents of police (dySP), four station in-charges and a fireman were among the 52 injured in stone pelting. 14 demonstrators were injured in the 'lathicharge', who were sent after treatment at a hospital. All the injured were sent home after treatment except for the fireman who was admitted to hospital.

16 people were arrested on charges of rioting, while a total of 988 persons were arrested in connection with the demonstration and later released in the evening, sources added.

PTI