Gujarat ex-Chief Ministers Shankarsinh Vaghela and Suresh Mehta were detained by Ahmedabad police today at around 11:00 am near Shahibag Dafnala.

Both leaders were coming in car to attend Government employees rally which is scheduled to start today at 2:00 pm at changed venue in western Ahmedabad.

Both Vaghela and Mehta have formed Prabudh Nagarik Shakti Manch. The Manch was denied permission to hold a public meeting at the end of the government employees rally.

After initial denial, the Police allowed government employees rally only with the conditions that it would be purely a government employees rally and no other person including any political leader would be allowed to participate in the rally. Participants of the rally would carry identity card along with them to prove they are government employees. Shankarsinh and Suresh Mehta wanted to participate and address the rally and therefore they were coming to Ahmedabad from their residents in Gandhinagar.

Police took both the leaders and their about 20 supporters including Congress and ex-MP Madhusudan Mistry to Karai Police Academy. They were released in the evening when rally in Ahmedabad was over. Patan Congress MP Jagdish Thakor reached Karai academy with Shankarsinh’s all three sons and criticized police action.

Meanwhile MLA Gyasuddin Sheikh, Shailesh Parmar and ex-MLA Naresh Rawal, Ahmedabad city Congress President, and Shankarsinh’s son MLA Mahendrasinh Vaghela were also detained when they tried to start a rally from Muslim dominated Sardarbag area in East Ahmedabad. Police blocked Nehru bridge-Lal Darwaja road to prevent any adverse situation. In another incident, a group of Congress student wing NSUI workers pelted stones on Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service bus in Muslim dominated Jamalpur area.

A non-political rally and public meeting of Government employees which was permitted at changed venue remained peaceful. However Gandhinagar’s sector – 7 police station filed complaint against employees union for distribution of offensive leaflets.