Paresh Dhanani’s spat with Amreli cops during bandh goes viral

RAJKOT: While supporting the Bharat Bandh announced as part of the ongoing farmers’ agitation, Congress leaders went around the markets in various talukas and district urging traders to support the bandh call. Leader of opposition in the state assembly, Paresh Dhanani, also had verbal altercation with the police in Amreli town on Tuesday.
Dhanani was out on his two wheeler moving across markets of Amreli town asking traders to shut shops.He was stopped by the police and asked to surrender, but Dhanani asked cops not to touch him and resisted his detention.
BJP leaders, too, came out on the roads to encourage traders to keep markets open.
A video of Dhanani’s heated argument with the police went viral in which Dhanani is heard asking the police for what offence they wanted to detain him. The Congress leader is also heard saying that he was moving alone on the road and to protest is his right in democracy and the police cannot detain him.
A mob had, however, gathered on the spot from where he succeed in getting out but within was detained shortly.
Superintendent of police, Amreli, Nirlpt Rai said, “We suspected that he was putting pressure on traders to shut shops and could have create a law and order problem. He was not alone, but there was a two-wheeler rally. So, it was preventive detention and thereafter he was released.”
Congress workers held protests since the morning in various parts of Rajkot and police detained 122 people including city Congress president Ashok Dangar and senior corporators of the party during the day for forcing traders to shut shops and burning tyres on the roads.
Congress workers were successful in keeping shops closed in the esasten parts of the city like Chunaravad, Bhavnagar road, Dudhsagar road, Thorala and Gundavadi areas for the few hours in the morning. They also approached traders of Race Course Road, Yagnik Road and Palace Road asking them to support the bandh.
Farmers along with Congress workers protested in Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Kutch districts. There was heavy police deployment across districts of Saurashtra since early morning.
Four booked for curfew violation
Rajkot: Rajkot police booked four people including city Congress president Ashok Dangar under various sections of IPC. The B division police booked Tushar Nandani for burning tyre on Pedak road during curfew on Monday night on the behest of Dangar with the help of Jagdish Thunga and Babu Varu. They are booked under IPC sections 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) 336 (negligence) and epidemic disease Act. Five offences of violation of police notification was registered for the protest held at University Road, Mavdi overbridge, Yagnik Road, Trikon Baug and Jubeli garden.
Rajkot market yard stays closed
Rajkot: The Rajkot market yard the biggest market yard of Saurashtra remained closed on Tuesday. The other major markets of Saurashtra like Gondal, Hapa Amreli, Bhavnagar and Mahuva remained open but there was very thin presence of the farmers. According to traders the trading was between 10 to 20 percent on Tuesday compare to normal days.
Mithi Virdi farmers join protest
Rajkot: Farmers of Mithi Virdi and nearby Jaspara, Mandva and Paliyali villages in Bhavnagar district who ran a successful protest against the setting up of a nuclear plant there, joined in the Bharat Bandh to protest against the farm laws on Tuesday. Farmers in this region have adopted organic farming and have been selling their organic produce in Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad. “The government is busy in abolishing APMC to benefit the corporates rather then addressing the burning issues of farmers like minimum support price of farm produce, exploitation of farmers and irregular electricity for farming,” alleged Bharat Jambucha, a farmer leader.
Bandh divides rural v/s urban support
While the impact of bandh was not visible in urban areas of Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar, the rural areas like Lodhika, Upleta, Maliya Hatina, Lalpur, Jamjodhpur, Dhoraji, Halvad, Moti Paneli and Keshod remained closed throughout.