Mahuva agitation: Over 700 protesters detained

At 8.30 on Thursday morning,a red bus packed with men,women and children pulled up on the opposite side of the road from the Ashram’s main entrance. Police immediately stopped the passengers from getting down. Soon,most of those gathered for the rally — which included villagers,Gandhians and other activists from the city — were hauled into more than half a dozen police buses and riot vans parked nearby.

Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner of Police Satish Sharma said that “more than 700” people were detained.

At noon,the police provided food and water to the detainees,and on the boundary-wall adjacent to the main road,police personnel and detainees sat together and chatted. Among the detainees were local activists and students — including many from Mahuva taluka who were studying in Ahmedabad. Dr Kalsaria,Vaidya,former finance minister Sanat Mehta and a host of other leaders sat on the floor on a small elevated stage inside the premises where they were detained.

One of those detained,a medical student,told The Indian Express that more than 10,000 people had headed towards Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening,but the police stopped the buses they were in at Vadodara,Sanand and Paldi and so could not reach the Sabarmati Ashram.