Curfew was imposed in Surat and some other cities after arson and stone-pelting incidents by the members of Patel community after detention of their leader on Tuesday night.
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“We have ordered an inquiry immediately when it came to our notice that the police dealt with heavy hands”, said Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Rajni Patel, whose ancestral house was set on fire by the angry mobs. The Patel community claimed they’ve haven’t received any benefits since India became independent and sought reservations for the community.
Meanwhile, Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old leader of the Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti who is spearheading the agitation, blamed police for the violence and said the agitation will intensify in the coming days.
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has also appealed for peace in the state.
As many as 100 buses were torched and property damaged in the violence in Ahmedabad, Surat and Mehsana cities and the towns of Unjha and Visnagar, officials said.
Earlier in the day, in a televised address in Gujarati, the Prime Minister appealed for peace and emphasised that all the issues can be resolved through talks. The state government already deployed forces in the areas to control the situation. He raised the stakes and called for a state-wide bandh on Wednesday after which he was detained and later released by the police. The rise of Hardik Patel as a political influencer and destabilizer in the state in a short span of time has also raised several eyebrows about the “mysterious source” behind his strength.
At least a dozen officers were injured in the violence, prompting the first curfew in the state since 2002 when communal riots left at least 1,000 people dead, Gujarat Director General of Police P.C Thakur said.
“Schools, business and private offices will not open today”. Isolated clashes between protesters and police occurred in several other cities in Gujarat, including the diamond cutting and polishing hub of Surat.
Three people died in the state’s capital city Ahmedabad after hundreds of the estimated half a million attendees began throwing stones and set cars, buses and police stations ablaze, a local police official told Agence France-Presse.
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He has emerged as the powerful face of a massive campaign of the affluent and influential Patels or Patidars who are demanding reservation in government jobs and colleges.
