FIR against Digvijaya Singh after cycle protest in Bhopal against fuel price hike

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and other partymen were stopped on their way as they had not taken permission for such a large gathering amid Covid-19 outbreak.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh rides a cycle during a protest against hike in fuel price, in Bhopal | PTI

Bhopal: An FIR has been registered against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh for leading a cycle protest in Bhopal against the fuel price hike without taking permission from the authorities, police said on Thursday.

The 73-year-old Rajya Sabha member and several other Congressmen rode bicycles from Roshanpura square to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans residence here on Wednesday to protest against the Centre and the state government’s move to hike prices of petrol and diesel.

They were stopped near the Apex Bank on their way to Link Road No. 1 where Chouhan resides, as they had not taken permission for such a large gathering at the time of COVID-19 outbreak, an official from T T Nagar police station said.

Later, a case was registered against Singh under Indian Penal Code Sections 188 (disobeying an order duly promulgated by public servant), 143 (unlawful assembly), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 341 (wrongful restraint), he said.

State Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam the Centre and the state government over the fuel price hike, saying the price of petrol was highest in Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP-led state government earlier this month raised the cess on petrol and diesel by Rs 1 to make up for the decline in revenue collection due to COVID-19 outbreak.