Tuesday 18 April 2000

Ahmedabad Mob agitates over water; police open fire The Times of India News Service

BHAVNAGAR: The Bhavnagar police fired a round in air after using three tear-gas shells to disperse an agitating mob near Akhlol Mahadev, an entry point to the city, on Monday.

The residents were agitating against the non-availability of water for four days. According to the police, the demonstrators even resorted to rasta roko andolan. In the ensuing agitation, they damaged two state transport buses, threw stones at police personnel and set a PSI's motorbike on fire. As temperatures ran high, the hostile mob also picked on PI L K Chudawant.

Dy SP Malek told TOI that fearing further damage, and also with a view to controlling the mob, the police, first, lobbed three tear gas shells, and then, fired in air.

Twenty-two persons have been arrested so far.

It may be noted that a major part of the city has been getting irregular water supply due to technical and other reasons.

Meanwhile, the Congress has condemned the police action and demanded an independent enquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of the Gujarat High Court.

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/18mahm1.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), April 18, 2000