New Delhi : Tension gripped Madhya Pradesh’s Datia after supporters of former Home Minister Narottam Mishra clashed with police and blocked National Highway-44 to protest the BJP’s decision to deny him a ticket for the upcoming Assembly bypoll. Angry over the decision, thousands of Mishra’s supporters gathered on Friday evening and blocked NH-44, triggering a traffic jam that stretched nearly 15 km.
The protest turned violent early Saturday when police moved in to clear the highway. Protesters allegedly pelted stones at the police team, leaving Datia Superintendent of Police (SP) Mayur Khandelwal and more than six other policemen seriously injured. According to SP Khandelwal, more than 3,000 protesters had blocked the highway and forcibly shut markets in the area from around 6 pm on Friday. Despite repeated appeals, they refused to vacate the road.
Police initially used tear gas to disperse the crowd, but as the situation escalated, they fired additional tear gas shells and carried out a mild lathi-charge to bring the protest under control. Narottam Mishra is a senior BJP leader who has served as Madhya Pradesh’s Home Minister, besides holding the Law and Legislative Affairs, Prisons, and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
The Datia Assembly seat later fell vacant after Rajendra Bharti was disqualified following his conviction in a bank fraud case. However, in a surprise move ahead of the July 2026 bypoll, the BJP leadership denied Mishra a ticket and instead nominated senior RSS and organisational leader Ashutosh Tiwari. The decision triggered widespread protests by Mishra’s supporters in Datia.
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