Rajkot

Patel caste leader Hardik Patel was today detained by Rajkot district police on way to Khandheri cricket stadium near Rajkot where India – South Africa one-day international cricket match is being played.

Hardik and supporter of his caste oriented agitation which is on its decline for last few weeks were going to cricket stadium to convert the cricket stadium into protest venue. Police however detained them all with their car and took them to Ghanteshwar based SRP camp of Rajkot police.

Hardik left Gondal town near Rajkot at 8.00 am and changed three cars on the way to Rajkot. When police stopped his car at one of the check posts and asked him to come out of the car, he first refused. Police called more force and later asked him again to get out of the car. Hardik said he had valid cricket ticket and he would go to the cricket match. When police asked him again to get out of the car he went out and created a scene for TV cameras by stepping up on the roof of the car with tricolor in hand. He was in farmer’s dress. Later he went inside the car and police took control of driving seat by flushing out a driver. Police cleared the traffic, took U-turn and drove the car to Ghanteshwar.

There was little or no response to Hardik Patel’s detention. Oddly dozen supporters of Hardik from Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti(PAAS) Surat unit tried to block the national highway at Kamrej. Similarly some other supporters tried to block traffic on Rajkot-Gondal highway, but police could control these groups quickly. One bus was torched near Tankara. Small-time brief road blocks are reported from some other pockets.

Hardik occupied tonnes of space in print and TV media for his threats such as – Patidar community people will stop the buses of cricket players in Rajkot, and 50,000 Patidars will hold protest inside and outside the stadium. However nothing of that sort could happen today. The agitation led by Hardik Patel that started with the issue of reservation has been lately turned out to be a one-person centric anti-BJP agitation with backdoor support of Congress, frontal support of extra ordinary coverage in media and attendance of curious rural people who gather to see and hear Hardik’s aggressive casteist anti-govt speeches.

– DeshGujarat