Two civic transport buses were set on fire by unidentified protesters in the Patidar-dominated Kapodra area of Surat this evening, police said. The incident took place after the city police detained some people, allegedly associated with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the Patel quota agitation body led by Hardik Patel, as they tried to stage protest at Saurashtra Bhavan against BJP leader Rutvij Patel’s programme.
The protesters pelted stones at the police, said Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma. “Some persons created ruckus at the venue and also threw stones at police. They even torched two buses at Hirabaug circle. Luckily, no one was injured. The situation is now under control in Kapodra area as well as rest of the city,” he said. To bring the situation under control, police used lathi-charge and also detained around 10 persons, said a control room official.
“The ruckus was created by 6 to 7 persons. Otherwise, the entire Patel community is with us,” said Rutvij Patel, president of state BJP’s youth wing. In a late night release, Hardik Patel claimed that his organisation had asked the police not to allow any program in the Patidar-dominated areas of the city. He also claimed that the protest was peaceful but the police used lathi-charge for no reason.
