Tuesday, July 19 2005 16:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Indore: Police lathi charged and burst 15tear gas shells to disperse Bharat Janata Party (BJP) workers, protesting arrest of three party workers in the July 6 Airport Security Breach case, after they gheraoed the Airport police station, pelted stones at the police vehicles and staged a road-blockade.

"Since morning saffron workers gathered in strength in front of the Airport police station to protest arrest of three persons yesterday night (July 18, 2005) for their alleged in the July 6 incident," police sources said.

Police resorted to lathi charge and burst 15 tear gas shells to disperse the agitating workers to take the situation under control, Indore Range IG, P L Pandey told sources.

He said 22 persons have been arrested in the case.

The workers gheraoed the police station for nearly three hours and also pelted stones at the police station and other vehicles damaging a police bus and a state road transport bus, sources said.

Many passengers scheduled to take morning flights to Mumbai and Delhi were stranded as a result of the protest but the police intervened and they reached airport safely.

"No passenger has missed the flight," Pandey said.

Police arrested 17 persons for allegedly breaching airport security on July 6 during the bandh to protest terrorist attack on makeshift Ram Temple in Ayodhya and stopping a Delhi-bound flight.