<<Print>>Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Theophilus Tetteh Chaie is blaming the leadership of pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance for the violence that characterized its protest to demand a new voters register.
According to him, the leaders provoked the police to apply maximum force after its members used unapproved routes to get the Electoral Commission to present their petition. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon to force back protesters who had massed up closed to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to picket at the EC.
The police beat protesters with horse whips in attempts to cow them into submission. Most of the leaders were arrested and other sustained various degrees of injuries.
The security service after the incident has been lampooned for launching an attack on unarmed civilians exercising their human rights.
But Tetteh Chaie on Asempa FM Wednesday maintained that, the police cannot be blamed.
In his view, the leadership should have policed their protesters to ensure they stick to the routes approved by the police.
The Ablekuma Central MP stated that some of the protesters deliberately took unapproved routs just to trigger violence just to be in the news.
“Some people deliberately provoke the police to beat them up so they leadership should take the full blame” he stressed.
Theophilus Tetteh Chaie admonished leaders of pressure groups to supervise their members to adhere to laid down procedures before embarking on another demonstration.
On the contrary, New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Akyem Swedru expressed disgust at the conduct of the police.
The MP who escaped the attack by a whisker said the police have proven that the citizenry cannot rely on them for protection.
“We have learnt our lesson in a bitter way so will prepare adequately on our next demonstration” he added.
Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu said if the police decide to throw democracy to the dogs and obey government then “we will make their work very difficult for them”.