Patidar agitation rears its head again: Two buses set ablaze in Surat

The incident took place after the Surat police detained some people allegedly associated with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).

Two buses were set ablaze allegedly by Patidar youth in Kapodra area of Surat, Gujarat, on Tuesday night. The incident took place after the Surat police detained some people allegedly associated with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).

According to ANI, 20 people have been detained following the incident.

Hardik Patel-led PAAS is a body which has been demanding reservation for people of Paridar community and has staged several agitations in the past, some of them taking a violent turn.

On Tuesday, the city police detained some people, allegedly associated with the PAAS. They had tried to hold a protest at Saurashtra Bhavan where a meeting of Gujarat BJP's youth wing was being held ahead of the elections to the 182-seat assembly later this year.

"Some persons created ruckus at the venue and also threw stones at police. They even torched two buses at Hirabaug circle. Luckily, no one was injured. The situation is now under control in Kapodra area as well as rest of the city," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

To bring the situation under control, police used lathi-charge and also detained around 10 persons, said a PTI report.

"The ruckus was created by 6 to 7 persons. Otherwise, the entire Patel community is with us," said Rutvij Patel, president of state BJP's youth wing.

Hardik Patel later claimed in a statement that the protest was peaceful and the police used baton charge for no reason. He also asked the police not to allow any programme in the Patidar-dominated areas of the city.

Starting in July 2015, the people Patidar community, seeking Other Backward Class (OBC) status, held public demonstrations across Gujarat. The largest demonstration was held in Ahmedabad on 25 August 2015, and was attended by thousands. Later, there were incidents of violence and arson across the state, resulting in a curfew in several cities and towns. Properties and vehicles worth crores of rupees were damaged and destroyed.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs