Gujarat: Mobile Internet services banned after Hardik Patel's detention

GANDHINAGAR: Mobile internet services were suspended in some parts of Gujarat on Saturday following the detention of the convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Hardik Patel in Surat earlier in the morning. Patel was taking out his controversial 'Ekta Yatra' from Mangadh in Surat without state government permission.

Police maintains that the decision to suspend mobile internet services has been taken to prevent abuse of social media, which could escalate tension. Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Gandhinagar will be affected with the suspension, which will continue for next 36 hours.

According to Surat Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, 36 people were detained in the morning as they were taking out the contentious "Ekta Yatra" without permission. Hardik Patel had appealed for calm after his detention. In his appeal, he asked Gujarat Police to refrain from any kind of atrocity and asked the Patidar agitators to refrain from violence while continuing their programmes.

"Some 18 conveners have been detained along with me; we are all together," Hardik had said. Meanwhile, incidents of stone pelting on state transport buses were reported from Botad district in Saurashtra area. Across Amreli, Junagarh, Surendra Nagar, the Patels have started demonstrating against the detention. The community also tried to jam highways in many places in Saurashtra.

In Rajkot, around 150 youth set on an indefinite dharna while women hit the streets with vessels and rolling pins as a mark of protest. While no major untoward incident has been reported till the filing of this report, security arrangements have been majorly beefed up. Hardik Patel was detained by Surat Police early in the morning as he was taking out his controversial "Ekta Yatra" from Mangadh in Surat without permission from the state government.