A case has been registered against Congress leader and former MP Renuka Chowdhury for grabbing a policeman's collar in Hyderabad during the party's protest over ED summons to Rahul Gandhi, ANI reported. A case was also registered against Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy, said Punjagutta PS Inspector Niranjan Reddy.
Both Renuka Chowdhury and Revanth Reddy have been charged under IPC sections 151, 140, 147, 149, 341, 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).
Earlier in the day, a video of Chowdhury grabbing the collar of a policeman in Telangana went viral on social media. The 43-second video tweeted by ANI shows Chowdhury arguing with the policeman before being dragged by female cops towards a police van.
Addressing reporters, Renuka Chowdhury said she had lost her balance and fell on the policeman while being pushed during the protest. She said she would apologise to the policeman.
"I didn't assault. I've been booked, I'll face it. That's law. I don't have anything against that young man. He never did anything to me. I was losing balance and I held on...as we were being pushed and bullied from back," ANI quoted Renuka Chowdhury as syaing.
"I have a problem with my leg. I was losing my balance so I fell on him like that. I will apologise to that man. But I expect police to apologise to me for manhandling us. Why were there so many policemen around us?" she further said.
The protest, organised as part of Raj Bhavan gherao call given by the Congress, turned tense after party activists set fire to a two-wheeler and smashed windows of TSRTC buses, PTI reported. The demonstrators raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as police foiled the attempts by the protesters to lay seige to the Raj Bhavan.
On Wednesday, Congress gave a call to gherao all Raj Bhawans across India to protest against Delhi Police personnel entering the Congress headquarters in Delhi and beating up workers. The incident happened while the party workers and leaders were protesting Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the ED in the National Herald money laundering case.