Surat

‘Patels have started the picture, but the end will be from our side’, said Sanjay Rathod from Koli community outfit in Surat who also runs Bandharan Bachao Samiti.

Rathod was speaking at peace conference called by Gujarat Vikas Samiti’s Pravin Bhalala. The conference was called in wake of the incident of attack on two Koli community youths by Patels in Yogi chowk area a day before.

On Friday evening at around 10.30 pm, about 150 Patels were marching in ‘Tapu sena'(newly formed children-teenager wing of Patidar agitation) rally when they saw a bike with writing ‘Makwana’ over it. As Makwana surname belongs to Koli community, a group of Patels stopped two youths riding over bike and inquired about their caste. When they revealed they were from Koli community, they were attacked and thrashed. They escaped the place leaving their bike which was burnt. Both Koli community youths were workers in Akshar Diamond.

To prevent any possible situation of caste conflict, Pravin Bhalala who is from Patel community but against the ongoing violent casteist agitation led by Hardik Patel, held a conference under the banner of Gujarat Vikas Samiti. Rathod was speaking in this conference.

In another development around 2,000 Koli community people gathered and discussed three different attacks over persons belonging to Koli community during Hardik Patel led violent casteist anti-government agitation. The meeting passed a resolution that if culprits of bike burning case are not arrested then community will give strong response.

It should be mentioned here that large section of Patel community people who have settled in Surat from rural Saurashtra are continuously creating trouble for the city for last few months in the name of anti-government agitation. They want reservation in jobs and education under Other Backward Class(OBC) category. The demand has been rejected by OBC commission way back in 1999 due to good education, economic and social status of community.10 persons have been dead in this agitation, 8 of which were from Patel community itself. Crores of Rupees of public and private property loss has been caused in the course of this agitation that has for last some time no clear goal, and completely on anti-government and anti-other castes line. The leader of this agitation is fond of keeping guns, posting his photographs with guns and issuing provoking statements.

In the course of ongoing agitation, Patels have fought with Rabari community people in Ahmedabad-East on 19th September with stones.

Seeds of conflict between Koli community and Patels were recently sown in Surat/South Gujarat area when Patel agitation leader, a caste fanatic youth Hardik Patel’s proposed reverse Dandi march from Koli community dominated coastal belt town of Dandi was opposed by Koli community village leaders. Sarpanchs of 75 villages from Koli coastal belt of south Gujarat had submitted a memorandum to Navsari collector that permission to Hardik led reverse Dandi march must not be granted, and if such march is organized, villagers from coastal belt will stop it by holding counter march.

On various online threads on Facebook relating to ‘Patidar andolan’, many comments attacking other community/caste persons can be seen posted almost on daily basis.

There’s general feeling among people that vicious agitation which has now fewer takers in one community in some pockets of the state, and its leaders who are clearly and openly polluting people’s minds and causing disturbance in peaceful state if not crushed strong-handadly, the situation could go worse in future. So far the extra-conscious and somewhat shaken government which also at times looks weak, has not showed strong will in this direction.

(TV grab video from GSTV)