Guj on the boil as protests cripple life in many areas, CM meets victims’ kin

Promising them of all possible help, she said her government was taking strict action against the culprits and 16 of them had already been arrested.

Later in the day, Patel said the issue should not be politicised. “Such incidents should never be associated with politics. I request all political parties to refrain from doing politics...Those who want to come can come and see what has happened and what steps we have taken,” she said, referring to the planned visits of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday.

Patel was accompanied by state Social Justice Minister Ramanlal Vora and Ahmedabad MP Kirit Solanki.

Meanwhile, the bandh call by Dalit outfits to protest against the thrashing of Dalit youth in Una evoked a mixed response on Wednesday with incidents of stone-pelting and blockade reported from some places.  The bandh has largely been peaceful, the police said, adding it had no impact in other parts of the state. Large contingents of police have been deployed in many areas of the state to maintain law and order.

The bandh was largely observed in Amreli and Junagadh cities of Saurashtra region. Some incidents of vandalising buses and stone-pelting were reported from Dhoraji and Dhrol. The protest crippled life in Junagadh and Amreli as schools, colleges and business establishments were closed. 

Rajkot also witnessed street protests during the bandh. The police detained around 50 people. However, total bandh call was not observed in the city and the situation was normal.

In Patan, a group of protesters pelted stones at a movie theatre, forcing its closure. They also blocked roads in the town, the police said.

As a precautionary measure, the authorities have decided to shut down several routes of state transport buses due to the bandh call and protests by Dalit Panthers and other community organisations. In Ahmedabad, the protesters tried to enforce bandh in some pockets such as Chandkheda and Kalapinagar, where they forced the closure of markets and schools.

The state has been witnessing widespread protests, unleashing violence, in which a head constable was killed during stone-pelting in Amreli district on Tuesday. Besides, state transport buses were attacked and over 10 members of the community allegedly ended their life.

In Porbandar, a private bus was torched.The situation remained tense in the city as a mob attacked a police station near the Collector’s office and torched several vehicles.  As many as four policemen, including a Deputy SP, were injured in the attack, said a senior police official.