Hyderabad: Leaders of Youth Congress representing two groups from Bhadradri-Kothagudem indulged in a brawl at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, prompting police intervention to diffuse the tension. As the newly elected Youth Congress leaders from various districts were holding meetings in Indira Bhavan, a rival group from Kothagudem also arrived at the scene. Continuing their tirade against the newly elected District youth Congress president of Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Ch Karthik, they challenged the eligibility of him in presence of all the State leaders.

The group led by Sudheer, District Secretary claimed that Karthik who recently joined from BRS despite his age bar contested the polls and through his manipulative tactics won the Youth Congress election. Since the issue failed to get the intended traction within the district, they had reached Gandhi Bhavan on the day the State leaders decided to meet. As they tried to highlight their claims of ineligibility to Karthik, they were initially shoved away from Indira Bhavan, where the meeting was being held. As Sudheer’s group came along with documents supporting their claims on the age of Karthik, the supporters of the latter snatched away the copies of documents and tore them to pieces. Notwithstanding that, they also started assaulting the members of the rival group in the parking space.

Some of them threw severe blows on the leaders of rival groups. During the melee, a few leaders also received injuries, before the Begum Bazar police arrived at the spot to disperse the groups. Later, speaking to media persons, Sudheer and his supporters displayed the copies of documents including passport copy and other documents of Karthik. Alleging that the defectors from other parties were given importance, they vowed to take up the issue at national level and bring to the notice of party High Command over the ‘violations’ of norms.