Ahmedabad takes body blow
Police finds bodies from Navrangpura, Shahpur and Vejalpur areas

Even as Ahmedabad continued to burn in communal fire, incidents of stone pelting and arson were reported from Bhavnagar on Wednesday compelling the police to impose night curfew. Also, on the second consecutive day, mobs gathered at Devjipura, near the Police Commissioner's office in Ahmedabad, and pelted stones on each other. Police fired several rounds of teargas shells to disperse the crowd. No one was injured in the incident. Meanwhile, three dead bodies were found from various places in the city and two persons succumbed to riot-related injuries in the hospital.

In Navrangpura, a body of an unidentified 30-year-old man was found wrapped in a plastic bag. He was found by some local residents near Samarth Apartment at 8.30 am. The apartments are still under construction. Police inspector O.S. Majmudar said the person had died of stab wounds, but it was difficult to ascertain the conditions under which he died. Two more bodies were found, one with stab wounds was found in Shahpur and the other one in Vejalpur area.

In Vadodara tension prevailed in the rural belt as incidents of violence that started on Tuesday morning continued till Wednesday morning. Situation, however, remained normal in Vadodara city, Bharuch, Godhra and Anand districts. In Ahmedabad, barring the Devjipaura incident, no other major incident of violence was reported on Wednesday when Lok Morcha leaders comprising Harkishan Singh Surjeet, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh were on a day-long visit. They visited relief camps in Juhapura, Bapunagar and Kankaria along with V.S. Hospital and Al Amin Hospital in Gomtipur and talked to the injured persons.

Anamul Iraki, organiser of Dariyakhan Ghummat relief camp, which is near the police commissioner's office, claimed that some VHP and Bajrang Dal activists came to Devjipura area (behind the commission-er's office and opposite the relief camp), but the Hindu residents forced them to leave. Later, the police came and burst some teargas shells to disperse the crowds, he added. Mr. Iraki also alleged that all these distur-bances were being created to tarnish the image of the relief camp so that it could be shifted from the area. Additional Commissioner of Police V.K. Mall said that they arrested 9 persons from Bhai ni Chali in Devjipura and also carried out combing in the area. Police recovered petrol bombs, knives, pipes and sticks from the residences there. A twen-ty one-year old youth, passing through Jamalpur Chakla, was stabbed in the neck and sides. He was admitted to the V.S. Hospital.

In Bhavnagar violence began when two autorickshaw drivers from two communities had a minor accident and the situation got out of hand, said DSP Anupam Gehlot. Residents of Karchalia Para area indulged in stone throwing and arson, he added. Police burst ten teargas shells and imposed night curfew to keep the situation under check. In the tribal belt, a 1,200-strong mob attacked Chhota Udepur town at around 4.30 am on Wednesday. It hurled kerosene bombs on the houses and tried to attack the residents, the police said. The attackers were equipped with sharp-edged weapons and they even threatened the residents. According to police, two state transport corporation drivers could be involved in the rioting. Following the incidents, DSP Piyush Patel and district collector Bhagyesh Jha rushed to Chhota Udepur to monitor the situation. It may be recalled that systematic attacks have been carried out in the town, which has the only relief camp in the rural belt.

Republished from The Asian Age