CHANDIGARH: The UT police rained lathis and tear gas on Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) workers in Sector 15 Chandigarh on Wednesday afternoon and arrested PYC president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary and Anandpur Sahib MP Ravneet Singh Bittu along with about 50 of his party workers.

The Congress workers were about to start their protest march from the Congress headquarters in Sector 15 to the official residence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal against the failure of the state government to arrest the killers of Youth Congress leader Sukhraj Singh Bhugurpur who was shot dead allegedly by Akalis in Patti before the local bodies polls.

YC workers gathered at Congress Bhawan in Sector 15 in good strength this afternoon. But as soon as they tried to march towards the CM’s residence in defiance of prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of the Cr PC, the UT police swung into action. Police personnel fired tear gas shells to disperse the agitating Congressmen. As they headed towards the Sector 11 market, the police rained lathis on them sending them scurrying for cover in the market and nearby houses. A large number of Congress workers, including Chaudhary, were rounded up shortly afterwards.

Police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent the PYC workers from reaching the Chief Minister’s residence. Besides imposition of Section 144, barricades were erected on all roads leading to the CM house.