The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday used water cannon to disperse hundreds of BJP women workers who held a demonstration here to protest the rape and murder of two teens in Budaon district a few days back.

A large number of saffron party's women workers led by the state BJP chief Luxmi Kant Bajpai took out a procession from their party office here and marched to the secretariat annexe building that houses the office of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The police used water cannons to disperse the women and prevent them from laying siege to Akhilesh's office. Some women workers were reportedly injured in a scuffle with policewomen, BJP leaders claimed later. Bajpai slammed the state government for resorting to what he called “repressive tactics” to thwart their peaceful protest. “This government has become shameless ... it has lost all moral right to continue in office,” he said.

Since the BJP protest was pre-planned, the cops were present in strength to foil their march to the annexe building. The police said that it did not use force but BJP women leaders alleged that they were roughed up by male cops.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh met UP Governor B L Joshi on Monday and briefed him about the steps taken by the government.