Protesters block roads, hold rallies in Gujarat

Tension prevailed in several parts of the state on Sunday, as protesters blocked roads and took out rallies in protest of the government’s failure to prevent Dalit activist Bhanu Vankar’s self-immolation.

Other than in Ahmedabad, protests were witnessed in Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Patan and Mehsana.

A large number of Dalits took out a rally in Unjha town of Mehsana and chanted slogans criticising the state government. The Unjha ST bus depot was shut as all buses were cancelled anticipating trouble during the protests.

Police said that some protesters were detained while they tried to block roads in State Capital Gandhinagar.

In Jamnagar, Dalits including women set fire to tyres to block roads. Similar protests were also seen in Patan, while Dalits met in large numbers in Rajkot and condemned the incident.

Outside the civil hospital in Ahmedabad, protesters demandes the release MLA Jignesh Mevani, who was detained in the morning. Reports said he was being held in the Special Operations Group (SOG) office, where a group of his supporters had assembled seeking his release.