Echoes of atrocities on farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, were heard in Gujarat across 25 districts in the form of sloganeering and silent protests. The violent incident at Lakhimpur between the protesting farmers and Union MoS for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra’s, the convoy had left around eight dead on Sunday, four of which were farmers.
Nearly 25 districts of Gujarat witnessed protests in varied forms against the massacre. Few of these districts include Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Dwarka, Amreli, Junagadh, Navsari, Tapi, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Surat, Surendranagar and Chhotaudepur. “Most of these districts witnessed a silent protest where farmers handed out a letter to the District Magistrate – to charge the Minister’s son with murder charges. A few districts also saw sloganeering carried out on the streets with police having to detain a few of them,” said Khedut Samaj President Jayesh Patel.
Protest at Jamnagar
At Jamnagar, members or workers of the Congress party held a sit-in at the Lalbangla Chowk. They shouted slogans and also demanded action against the responsible BJP leaders. However, police detained 21 activists, including six women protestors.
The Congress party workers/supporters also protested against the detention of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, in Uttar Pradesh. However, before these activists could set fire to the idol of Mishra, police arrived at the spot and detained 21 of them. The protest included District Congress President Jivanbhai Kumbharwadia, Kalavad-Dhrol MLA Pravinbhai Muchadia, City President Digubhai Jadeja, Women Corporator Rachnaben Nandaniya, Jainbaben Khafi, Youth Leader Kalpesh Hadial, Adnan Jannar, Hemant Chavda, Chandresh Parmar amongst, many others.
Protest at Ahmedabad
A dharna/protest was organised at the Income Tax junction in Ahmedabad with Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Paresh Dhanani as the key spokesperson. Other Congress leaders and activists were also present at the time. Dhanani accused the government of massacring farmers and killing democracy. “Gujarat has never seen such a strong response to the farmers’ protest against the agricultural law,” he said.
Protest at Bodeli, Chhotaudepur
Members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Bodeli, Surat, carried out a candle march, as a sign of protest against the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. A silent rally was held in the Bodeli market with candles and placards that demanded punishment for the perpetrators of the massacre. The protestors also carried a banner that read “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”.
Protest at Surendranagar
Leaders of the Kisaan Congress at Surendranagar met the District Collector and handed him a letter of their demands and protested silently. Their primary demands included the resignation of Union MoS for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra and the death penalty for his son, Ashish Mishra.
