Over 30 Patidar quota agitators detained in Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar: Altogether 31 supporters and leaders of Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti (PAAS) including Dhari MLA Nalin Kotadiya, convener Dinesh Bambhaniya and spokesperson Varun Patel were detained by police here today as they were adamant to enter the office of the head of the Gujarat OBC Commission and retired High Court Justice Sugnyaben Bhatt in a greater number than permitted earlier.

The detained ones have been kept at the police headquarter here.

PI of the sector 21 police station area in which the OBC commission office is situated , Ms K Mini Joseph said that the commission head had allowed five of the PAAS leaders/members to come and give her a memorandum with regard to their demand of including the Patidar or Patel community in OBC for reservation benefits.

‘They had taken the prior permission and when at around 330 pm this afternoon they came, they started creating a scene demanding that at least 10 of them should be allowed to go into the office to hand over the memorandum. Later they started shouting and saying that they would go to the Chief Minister office to submit the memorandum,’ the PI said.

31 have been detained and kept in the police head quarter here, she said adding that it was not yet clear whether they will be released later or some other legal measure be taken against them.
Notably, PAAS has demanded that the members of the community be granted OBC status without conducting any survey.It was to submit a memorandum in this regard to the commission highlighting eleven points to prove that the community does not require any survey for its qualification for entry into OBC category.

Meanwhile Sugnaben Bhatt who heads the commission said PAAS convener wanted to come in big number to submit memorandum, but I had asked that only five persons should come. They came in big number and couldn’t decide five persons who should visit me. I had assured them that I will hand over their representation to Chief Minister, but they left the place without submitting their memorandum. – DeshGujarat

PTI version: PAAS members create ruckus outside OBC panel office, detained

Ahmedabad:Around 31 members of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), spearheading the cause for OBC quota, were detained for allegedly creating ruckus outside office of State OBC Commission in Gandhinagar today, where they had gathered to submit an application seeking OBC status for Patels.

More than 50 PAAS members assembled outside the office in sector 19 and tried to enter inside without prior approval from commission head Justice (retired) Sugnyaben Bhatt who directed police to send only five members to make their representation.

Hardik Patel-led PAAS had yesterday announced that they will submit an application to the panel for granting them Other Backward Class status without conducting any survey.

“First, these PAAS members violated a notification issued by the Collector banning assembly of more than four persons anywhere in state capital. Despite the ban, around 50 PAAS members gathered outside the OBC Commission office.

However, we have not taken any action immediately,” said Gandhinagar crime branch inspector AK Parmar.

He said that despite Bhatt’s instruction to let only five persons in, some members of PAAS started arguing with police and insisted that seven of them be allowed to meet Bhatt.

“However, the (commission) chairperson denied permission for additional two members,” said Parmar.

When police conveyed Bhatt’s instructions, the PAAS members, led by their conveners Dinesh Bambhaniya and Lalit Vasoya, and sitting MLA Nalin Kotadiya allegedly resorted to ruckus and threatened to head towards secretariat.

“Despite our instructions, PAAS members insisted to go inside the office. When we stopped them, they threatened to go to Sachivalaya to meet the Chief Minister on this issue. To stop them from creating more trouble, we detained 31 persons, including Bambhaniya, Kotadiya and Vasoya. We will release them later,” the police officer said.

Meanwhile, Hardik Patel, currently based in Udaipur, has accused the Gujarat Government of trying to suppress the voice of Patel community.

“This government is trying to muzzle our voice. Though our members were not involved in any violence, they have been detained by police. Why we are stopped from making our representation?…It shows that government is trying hard to see that Patels do not get reservation,” Hardik stated in a media statement.