Gujarat near normal as quota row toll rises to 10

An activist’s call for the Indian State of Guajarat to restrict access to WhatSapp and mobile internet has been heeded by local authorities, in the hope that restricting communications will quell violence. In view of the festival of Rakshabandhan, shops as well as other business establishments remained open today with people flocking the markets.

Curfew was also lifted from Kapodra and Varachha area of Surat as well as Morbi, Rajkot and Jamnagar city of Saurashtra region.

However, most schools and colleges across the state remained closed as a precaution.

“Army’s flag march continued today in sensitive areas where violence was reported”, Beniwal said. “Curfew has been lifted from six police stations areas here including Nikol, Bapunagar, Naroda, Odhav, Krushnanagar and Ramol today”, the city control room officer, AK Desai said.

The BRT system, in which buses and stops were badly damaged, is expected to resume normal operations only by next week.

While auto-rickshaws and taxis started plying on Thursday, public transport, which bore the brunt of mobs in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and other cities, operated only partially.

There were 15 cancellations of some intrastate and interstate train services as tracks were damaged by rioters. He has written a letter to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister demanding action against the police.

The two days of unrest figured prominently in the Gujarat assembly, where a vociferous Congress demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, forcing two adjournment of the house. “Anger helps no one except Modiji”, Gandhi tweeted.

However, the situation could turn worse with a 22-year-old commerce graduate Hardik Patel, who has galvanized the dominant Patel community in Gujarat on the reservation demand, threatening to intensify the agitation on Friday and deciding to seek support from the Gujjar community.

“The policemen targeted the Patel community in a systematic manner”.

“The state government committed the misadventure of detaining Hardik Patel after Tuesday’s rally and it paid for the blunder…”

The minister, however, also said the government didn’t give them any assurance.