Violence marred Gujarat’s Junagadh city, taking the life of one person who, according to a report, was hit by a stone. At least five police personnel suffered injuries after a group of people torched a vehicle to oppose the civic body’s plan to raze a dargah to clear encroachment. They shouted slogans, clearly agitated over the notice to the dargah. The episode occurred near Majevadi Darwaja in the city on Friday.
The police, reportedly out of danger, resorted to tear gas shells and charged the protestors with batons after the situation spiralled out of control. They arrested 174 people in the combing operation, a national newspaper claimed.
While the reason behind the civilian’s death should be known after the postmortem, the police suspect he suffered serious injuries owing to stones pelted around.
“On June 14, the Junagadh Municipal Corporation issued a notice to a mosque near Majevadi Darwaja to produce documents regarding the ownership of land. Agitated over the notice, around 500-600 people gathered near the religious structure and blocked roads on Friday night,” Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty was quoted as saying.
Deputy SP of Junagadh and other staff attempted to pacify the situation but failed after almost hour-long dialogues with the protestors. Stones were thrown at the police after they tried clearing the road blockade, Vasamsetty said.
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