Half a dozen cops including Ahmedabad Rural SP injured in Sanand at farmers rally without permission

Sanand: Over 45 people were detained while several others including Ahmedabad Rural SP R V Asari and around half a dozen police personnel injured during an attempt to take out a farmer’s rally here without proper police permission.

Farmers from Sanand, Viramgam and Bavla area were taking out a rally with tractors. They were to march to capital Gandhinagar as a protest to the said non-availability of water for irrigation of their crops. The participants in this rally were from Upardal, Zamp, Aniyari, Vanaliya, Jetpur, Thuleta, Kishol, Rethal, Vasna, Nanodara, Metal, Devdholera villages. They were claiming that their villages were included in Fatehwadi irrigation scheme during English rule, but for last 200 years, any government has not made any arrangement for irrigation water to this area. There has been no canal to serve this area. One Shailesh Thakkar has been identified as coordinator of this Khedut Adhikar Rally.

Police tried to stop the rally as soon as it started due to lack of permission and detained over a dozen of the participants. It triggered violent retaliation and stone pelting from some elements in the rally. Half a dozen police personnel including Ahmedabad Rural SP R V Asari sustained injuries.

Later police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells also to control the violent mob and detained over 45 of them. The number of detainees might go up.

A case has been registered in Sanand GIDC area in this regard.

Asari, who has sustained injury in his head, said that there were around 2000 people in the rally. ‘Police tried to stop the rally for which no permission was granted. The mob became violent and started heavy stone pelting. Police had to control the unruly mob.’

Updates: Police said total 38 teargas shells were lobbed to control the violent mob. About 30 from mob are booked for rioting and attack on police. PAAS leader Hardik Patel jumped into the incident and visited Sanand. His presence was strongly opposed by BJP workers and he was asked not to step in Sanand. Another trouble-maker group leader Alpesh Thakor has announced bandh tomorrow against today’s incident. Section of TV media is spewing venom against the state government as some TV reporters were hit during clash between police and farmers. Dr KR Patel of Sanand hospital said one officer had head injury and other had swelling near left eye, one head constable had split injury on lips. Local karamshi Patel said the organizers of the rally who were actually responsible for instigating the farmers went missing, while innocent farmers who were provoked by organizers of the rally had to face tough time in clash.

Editor’s note: Yesterday, the information regarding this rally was circulated over mail to media persons by AAP leader who has large tract of land in Nal Sarovar area. You must note that the rally was organized to demand a new canal. Building a canal involves a huge process in which multiple factors such as topography, land availability, water availability, financial, geographical viability, figures of beneficiaries, output linked viability and other factors. Government which appears soft and therefore more trouble makers are emerging needs to look into who instigated farmers and provoked them to rally when permission was not granted by police. Who from the crowd of farmers actually started pelting stones and gave violent turn to the rally so that the groups of farmers(we don’t know whether all of them were farmers) and police(police means BJP government) are positioned against each other. As Gujarat assembly elections are going to take place this year, and there’s all possibility that dirty tricks will be played by those who want to come to power by any mean, the government needs to be extra cautious and vigilant. Each act such as violence in this rally or fake SMS over whats app inviting large number of youths to automobile plants for recruitment need to be thoroughly probed through Intelligence Bureau, police and other instruments. Those in the root of trouble need to face strict action.

DeshGujarat