Deepender Deswal, TNN Oct 16, 2012, 11.06AM IST

ROHTAK: The Rohtak police have registered a case against CPM politburo member Brinda Karat and several other activists in connection with a violent clash with police during a march in Rohtak on Monday to protest the spate of rape incidents in Haryana.

The protest, organized by All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) – the women frontal organisation of CPM, was led by Karat and attended by around 400 activists.

They staged a demonstration at the HUDA ground and then were marching towards the mini-secretariat to submit a memorandum of their demands to the deputy commissioner.

The police, however erected barricades at some distance from the DC office and stopped them from moving ahead. When the protesters tried to force their way, the police resorted to cane charging resulting in injuries to five protesters. The Rohtak SP Vivek Sharma however stated that protesters had attacked the police in which several cops including women police personnels suffered injuries. The injured cops are admitted in the civil hospital, he said.

However, around midnight, the police registered a case under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332, 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 427 (mischief), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) against protests on the complaint of women cell incharge of Rohtak police Sunita Devi.

The police FIR named 12 persons including Karat, AIDWA activists Jagmati Sangwan, Iti Chaudhary, Dimpal, Shahnawaj, Prem Rani and male activists Satvir Singh, Ramesh Laura, Inderjit Singh, Preet Singh, Naresh and Ramniwas as accused besides a number of unidentified accused. The Rohtak police spokesperson Ved Singh Nain said that no arrests could be made so far.