Hong Kong: A maverick Hong Kong lawmaker was arrested today for allegedly assaulting a police officer during a protest sparked by Beijing's decision to rule out direct elections in the territory until 2017, police and the politician said.

Leung Kwok-hung was taken from his home early today morning and questioned about an alleged assault during a protest on Dec 29, a police spokeswoman said, requesting anonymity in line with policy. The activist-turned-lawmaker, also known as "Long Hair" for his waist-length ponytail, said he was held for several hours and then released on bail and ordered to report back to police on Jan 28.

Leung denied hitting a police officer during the protest on Saturday, in which he and several colleagues from the League of Social Democrats burnt a tire outside the offices of Hong Kong's leader, or chief executive. "There was a scuffle. The police tried to put out the fire with a spray," he told The Associated Press.

Party chairman Albert Chan called the charges "exaggerated" and accused police of using heavy-handed tactics to discourage people from protesting. On Saturday, Beijing said Hong Kong could not directly elect its leader until 2017, drawing sharp criticism from the pro-democracy camp who had campaigned heavily for the earlier date of 2012.

Several hundred people marched through the city accusing Beijing of cheating them out of their right to a democratically elected government. When Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing pledged to ultimately allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, although a date was never given.

Source : PTI