Vadodara city police registered two FIRs based on complaints from both sides and arrested eight people for the clash, videos of which went viral. (File photo)
An alleged demand for a Ganeshotsav ‘chanda’ of Rs 21,000 ended in a violent clash between two groups at a Vadodarakulfi seller’s shop, with both sides raining blows on each other and throwing around a variety of objects.
Late on Tuesday (September 15) night, Vadodara city police registered two FIRs based on complaints from both sides and arrested eight people for the clash, videos of which went viral.
Among those arrested were members of the Ganesh mandal and members of the kulfi seller’s family.
The alleged incident took place on the night of September 13. One Hitesh Patni and Shailesh Patni allegedly confronted 50-year-old Bijendrasingh Vaghela, who runs a “Rajasthan Kulfi” shop in the Chokhandi Wadi area, demanding to know why he had not contributed for the puja.
In his complaint to police, Vaghela said the disagreement over the contribution had begun four or five days earlier, when Hitesh Patni had visited his shop and asked him to cough up Rs 21,000 for Ganeshotsav celebrations in the locality.
Vaghela allegedly told Hitesh that he could not afford to pay so much. In response, Hitesh allegedly demanded to know why Vaghela was running the shop then, and threatened to “deal with” him.
On September 13, Hitesh and Shailesh allegedly showed up near a Chinese food cart that is stationed outside Vaghela’s kulfi shop and asked him why he had not paid the Ganeshotsav contribution.
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A verbal altercation ensued – and Vaghela’s son Mahesh allegedly jumped into the quarrel. He asked Hitesh and Shailesh why they were demanding such a large sum.
According to the complaint, at some point Mahesh was pushed, and a scuffle broke out. Vaghela intervened, but the confrontation escalated, and both father and son were allegedly abused and assaulted.
As per the complaint, Hitesh allegedly called for his friends – and two other men, Monty Patni and Pankaj Patni, showed up at the spot. Pankaj Patni allegedly slapped Vaghela, and Monty allegedly assaulted both Vaghela and his son Mahesh.
Subsequently, more people arrived to join the quarrel on the side of the Patni group. According to the complaint, one Jatin Patni and one Anil Patni reached Vaghela’s shop, and Jatin allegedly slapped the kulfi seller.
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Anil Patni allegedly picked up a steel lid lying inside the shop and attempted to hit Mahesh with it. Mahesh moved away in time, avoiding injury, the complaint states.
In the videos of the incident, both sides are seen flinging steel utensils and items from the shop’s counter, and even attempting to throw an entire stash of packaged drinking water at each other.
The commotion drew a crowd to the spot, and the accused allegedly left. Vaghela told police that before leaving, the Patni group had threatened him with further assault.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
