A demonstrator beaten by cops during the protest in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. (AFP)

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 6: The Congress had sought to leave a shock-and-awe effect on the Naveen Patnaik government through its Parivartan Ahwan (call for change) rally, but the violence unleashed by its supporters here today took away much of the punch it had intended to deliver.

Around 400 people, including 60 police personnel were injured when the Congress workers fought a pitched battle with the cops, who used water cannons, tear gas shells and batons at Lower PMG Square near the Assembly. Even reporters were not spared.

The Congress today called an Odisha strike on Monday to protest against the police action against its workers.

The violence broke out when the Congress workers tried to break the police cordon and gherao the Assembly as part of the party’s “Naveen hatao and Odisha bachao” call. The police used water canons and tear gas shells, apart from batons, to disperse the rampaging crowd. The Congress supporters, whose sheer number appears to have taken the police by surprise, even beat up a lady constable.

Among the Congress leaders injured were state chief Niranajan Patnaik, former MP Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Mirza Irshad Baig.

The rally, which was addressed by senior Congress leaders, including AICC leader in charge of Odisha affairs Jagdish Tytler, turned violent when the former Union minister called upon workers to throw out the “beiman” (dishonest) Naveen Patnaik government.

The Congress leaders said the people of the state would teach a lesson to the corrupt government in 2014.

As Tytler was winding up his speech, the Congress workers suddenly marched towards the Assembly building, a few yards away. Though there was heavy police arrangement, the cops had not imagined the Congress supporters turning up in such huge numbers.

When they tried to break the police cordon, the cops first used water canons. But, the rallyists defied it and continued in their effort to march towards the Assembly. Later, the police lobbed tear gas to disperse the mob.

When it failed to work, the cops chased the crowd using batons. The rallyists started pelting the police personnel with heavy stones and hurled bamboo pieces as missiles.

The issue of police brutality against the Congress workers also found an echo in the Assembly.

Responding to the charge, director-general of police Prakash Mishra said: “As the mob tried to break the police cordon by violating prohibitory orders, the police had no option but to use force in a restrained way to control and disperse the mob. The cops had not used lathis, but they only chased away the mob to disperse them. The police personnel and a few civilians were also injured in the process.”

Mishra was today scheduled to visit New Delhi, but dropped his plan. Mishra was present at the site, keeping a tab on it.

Responding to the Congress’s allegations, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “They are continuing with their old habit of making false allegations against the state government. The entire nation is seeing how the central government is in deep trouble in Parliament with a series of scams.”

Referring to the electoral promise made by the Congress during 2009 elections to provide Rs 3 per kg rice to the people, Naveen asked: “Three years have passed. What happened to the promise?”

BJD ministers Pratap Kumar Deb, Arun Sahoo and its youth wing chief Sanjay Dasburma listed the achievements of their government and came down heavily on the Congress for its criticism. “A conspiracy has been hatched to defame the Naveen Patnaik government. However, people will give a fitting reply at the right time,” said Dasburma.

Protesting against the police brutality, Odisha Congress media-cell chief Narasingh Mishra said: “We have demanded an independent inquiry either by the Lokpal or a sitting judge of Orissa High Court. Criminal cases should be lodged against the people involved in the attack against the innocent. The lathicharge was carried out without declaring the congregation as “unlawful”.

Condemning the police attack on Congress workers, Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Srikant Jena said: “The BJD has lost its morale authority to continue in government. The police even entered the Pradesh Congress office and continued their inhuman atrocities against the party workers and leaders. It seems that Odisha has been converted to a police state where all the democratic values and right to protest have been completely buried.”

Former Odisha Congress chief Sarat Patnaik said: “The Naveen Patnaik government has sold everything. Only Odisha’s free air is left for sale.”

The Opposition Congress MLAs staged dharna in the House, alleging police brutality on its workers.

Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh alleged that a few minutes after the chief minister claimed that the overall law and order situation was good, the police resorted to lathicharge and lobbing tear gas shells, while the Congress workers were staging a demonstration outside the House in a peaceful manner.