Gandhinagar : The Army was called out and paramilitary forces rushed to violence-hit Gujarat as the agitating Patidar went on the rampage across the state with six people ending up in the morgue. Scores of others were hospitalized with injuries as the police opened fire and burst teargas shells to quell the defiant mobs.
Curfew has been clamped in many parts of the state and curbs imposed on internet in a desperate attempt to restore law and order.
Columns of army were called out and 33 companies of paramilitary forces airlifted by the Indian Air Force to Ahmedabad after the police, public transport and public buildings came under heavy attack with incidents of arson engulfing newer areas by the hour.
The decision to requisition the paramilitary forces was taken after chief minister Anandiben Patel discussed the situation with union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday morning. When a public appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, delivered in chaste Gujarati, followed by one by the chief minister, went unheeded and the body count mounted, the army was also called in.
With social media coming into increasing use in proliferating violence, internet connectivity was curbed by the authorities.
The trouble began on Tuesday night after the police lathi charged the dwindling congregation that had stayed back in solidarity with their Patidar agitation leader who suddenly chose to go on a 48 hour flash fast on Tuesday night.
The charging cops attacked parked vehicles in a bid to strike fear and even attacked media persons. The arrest of Hardik Patel proved the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back. As news of the arrest spread, mobs took to the streets all over the state attacking police stations, public transport and even the private residences of ministers in their respective constituencies. Though Hardik was released an hour and a half later, the damage was already done and the state was set on a path of retributory violence.
Incidents of violence were reported from Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and even smaller towns like Himmatnagar, Mehsana, Kalol, Palanpur, Unjha and Patan, to name a few.
A father and son, returning from work in the eastern suburb of Ahmedabad, lost their lives when the police sought to repel the attacking mobs by opening fire. Two more persons were killed in similar circumstances in police firing in Palanpur town of north Gujarat and one person fell to paramilitary bullets in Mehsana. Official sources confirmed that over 100 buses of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation had borne the brunt of the agitation leading to buses being withdrawn and many bus stations, including the one in the state capital of Gandhinagar, being closed down.
Numerous trains leaving Ahmedabad for Delhi, including the Rajdhani, was cancelled while those coming from Mumbai like the Garib Rath were diverted from Baroda via Ratlam to Delhi instead of Ahmedabad. This was because tracks had been uprooted in various places.
Ministers and legislators of the ruling BJP in Gujarat also came under attack. The House of state home minister Rajni Patel, offices of the state law minister Pradipsinh Jadeja as well as Morvi MLA Kantilal Amrutiya also came under attack.
The bandh in the state was virtually total as Patidar groups went around forcing shops and establishments to shut down.
Hardik Patel, convenor of the Patidar Ananmat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), complained bitterly of police high handedness and attacks on innocent bystanders. ‘‘The police pulled people out of homes and assaulted them mercilessly, not even sparing women and children.”
He further said that the agitation would continue even if the Army is removed. “There are some political elements which are trying to derail our agitation. We will continue to follow the path of Mahatma and resort to non-violent methods. I appeal to all the citizens of the state, across various sections, to maintain peace.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made an appeal to the people of Gujarat to maintain peace and follow the principles of democracy. In a special address to the people of state, delivered in Gujarati, Modi said that it was disturbing that people from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel were resorting to violence. “Violence has done no good to anyone, ever. I appeal to the people of Gujarat to maintain peace…Every issue can be resolved with talks. I appeal to the people of Gujarat not to resort to violence. Together, let us support the growth process,” Modi said.
