Surat:

Around half a dozen people were arrested today for protesting against the removal of a statue of Shivaji in Dabholi area of Surat city.

PI of Chowk Bazar police station S B Shaikh said that the SMC removed the statue put illegally near BRTS road in Dabholi. Soon after it the residents of nearby societies assembled there and blocked the road to protest the SMC action.

‘Police reached the spot and warned the protesters to move away from the road. Most of them left but around half a dozen did not buzz and were arrested for unlawful assembly under section 341 and 143 of the IPC. Since the sections are bailable they have been released on bail from the police station itself,’ the PI added.

Meanwhile, some locals alleged that the statue was removed by the SMC under the pressure of a private builder. They also alleged that the statue got damaged during removal.

Police, however, denied that the statue was damaged. ‘It has been safely removed by the SMC,’ Shaikh claimed.

DeshGujarat