GUWAHATI, Sept 6 - Police had to resort to mild lathicharge today after scores of unregistered traders blocked the RG Baruah Road over an eviction drive undertaken by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).
Officials said the incident took place after GMC staff, along with trainees of ACS and Allied Services attached to the municipal body, undertook an eviction of unregistered fish and vegetable vendors from Silpukhuri and Jonali localities and seized a huge quantity of goods from them.
The eviction was carried out following complaints by locals and pedestrians over sidewalks being taken over by the illegal vendors.
However, as the team was moving towards Ganeshguri after completing the eviction at Jonali, a number of vendors blocked the road near the Assam State Zoo and started shouting slogans against the GMC.
Police rushed to the spot and there was a scuffle between them and the vendors. The vendors reportedly pushed a couple of senior police officials.
Following this, a mild lathicharge was carried out, following which the vendors lifted the road blockade, which had resulted in traffic jam for over an hour, and fled from the spot.
GMC officials said nobody was injured in the lathicharge, but the vendors claimed that some of them sustained.
