Congress leaders protest against Amit Shah at Utsav Chowk in Pune on Saturday. (Screen grab from a video by Arul Horizon)The Pune Congress on Saturday alleged that the police had barred the party from protesting along Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s travel route. Spokesperson Gopal Tiwari also claimed that notices had been served to several Congress leaders and workers and the police were “trying to detain them before the event.”Shah arrived in Pune early on Saturday to honour National Security Adviser Ajit Doval with the Lokmanya Tilak Puraskar at an event in the evening. The Congress had planned to show black flags, raise slogans, and demand Shah’s resignation as he made his way to the venue.“The Pune police told us not to protest on the route through which Shah’s cavalcade will pass. We have been told to protest nearly a kilometre away from the venue,” Tiwari told The Indian Express.The Congress accused Shah of being responsible for the lathi charge on the protesting students at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. “The protesting students were beaten up by the police at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Even pellet guns were used against them. Several students were injured and had to be hospitalised. All this happened because the Home Minister directed the police to beat up the students who had decided to march to Parliament,” Tiwari said.Also Read | 12 RAF among 16 CRPF companies to be withdrawn from Delhi police dutiesPune Congress president Prashant Jagtap accused Shah of “hiding in the darkness of night” to avoid Opposition protests and parliamentary debate. “Instead of attending Parliament and replying to the Opposition charges, he stayed away. Now, he has time to attend an event. When our children were protesting, he remained hidden. When the Opposition tried to question the government in Parliament, he hid. Now, when Congress decided to protest, he hid himself in the darkness of night,” Jagtap said.“Now, the police want to protect him from our protests. The Home Minister of the country needs protection…He should resign and go home,” he added.Shah was received at the airport by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar met him at the hotel.