Kalyan Youth Congress Workers Detained Before BJP Office Gherao Over 'Purification' Row

Kalyan witnessed escalating tensions on Thursday as Youth Congress workers were apprehended by police just before they were set to march to the BJP office in Tilak Chowk. The protest was organized to voice opposition against an alleged "purification" of a venue in Uttarakhand following a public meeting led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The Kalyan District Youth Congress had announced the protest, with Japjit Singh Mata and Congress women’s district president Kanchan Kulkarni slated to lead the demonstration. The venue, following Kharge’s meeting, was purportedly washed with Gangajal, an act denounced by the Congress as discriminatory and anti-Dalit. Police intervention thwarted the planned protest, detaining several Congress leaders and workers at Shivaji Chowk before the march could commence.

This action sparked a brief, heated exchange between the protesters and law enforcement. Kanchan Kulkarni condemned the police's interference, emphasizing that the Congress's stance on the Uttarakhand controversy remains unchanged. The detained individuals were subsequently released.