500 Held, Curfew Imposed After Patel Protesters, Police Clash In Gujarat

Mehsana: At least two dozen people were injured in Gujarat's Mehsana town as clashes broke out between protesters and police and around 500 were detained in Surat today, sparking fears of a revival of the Patel community's quota agitation.

Mobile internet services have been suspended in the two cities as well as Ahmedabad as authorities tried to prevent the protests from spreading.

Curfew was imposed in Mehsana where violence broke out after police denied permission to protesters for a rally demanding the release of their leader Hardik Patel from jail. Prominent Patel community leader Lalji Patel was among those injured.
 Around 5,000 protesters had gathered in Mehsana and some of them threw stones at the police when they blocked the rally. Police fired more than a dozen tear-gas shells charged batons injuring several. Some policemen were also injured in the clashes. Tear-gas shells were fired and batons were also charged in Surat.

Mehsana District Collector Lochan Sehra said that the authorities had informed the protesters that the permission to take out a rally had been denied but despite that they tried to take a rally. "There was stone pelting at the police following which police had to take action as per law," he said.

"I kept on telling the police that it's a peaceful rally and I a Patel leader. They still attacked me with batons," Lalji Patel said.
 Two Patel community groups have called for a shutdown in Gujarat tomorrow. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel dismissed the protests saying, "Agitations keep going on, we have to serve the people."

Protests by the Patel community demanding reservation in educational institutions and jobs have escalated in the past year in Gujarat.

Hardik Patel, the 23-year-old firebrand leader of the Patel quota movement, was arrested on charges of sedition in October last year.