Surat:

Former IPS officer D G Vanzara today said that those who had burnt the vehicles and indulged in violent activities chanting ‘jai Sardar’ have no right to criticize him for garlanding Sardar Patel’s statue with symbolic gun and pen.

Mr. Vanzara, one of the accused of the Ishrat Jaha encounter case, was today felicitated by Jaher Nagrik Sanman Samiti here. During the event in Patel Smruti Bhavan in Varachha area of the city the former IPS officer garlanded Sardar Pate’sl statue with a specially designed thread made garland in which pen and plastic made symbolic pistol were woven.

Explaining his act, Mr Vanzara said that pen was symbol of knowledge while the gun represents security.

The Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti (PAAS) on the other hand said that the act was an insult to the great leader. Local PAAS convener Dharmik Malviya said that garlanding Sardar, a preacher of unity, with gun did not make any sense.

Some of the PAAS members later took out the symbolic gun woven garland from the statue and replaced it with flower made garland. Former union minister and Congress leader Dinsha Patel also criticized the act demanding apology to public from Mr Vanzara.

Mr. Vanzara later said that if any community thought that Sardar Patel was an exclusive property of it then it was a totally wrong perception as he belong to every Indian. He said that especially those who had burnt vehicles and indulged in violence chanting Jai Sardar have no right to preach him.

– DeshGujarat