Vaghela Escapes Attempt On Life

Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela escaped an attempt on his life on Saturday night when an irate mob of BJP workers surrounded his car and hurled stones while chanting Kill the traitor. Vaghela was returning from an election meeting when his convoy was waylaid by thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party workers who had dispersed from a meeting addressed by Sadhvi Rithambara of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

D K Daghal, DIG of Bhuj who is stationed here to supervise election security, said a case under section 153-A had been slapped against Rithambara and the organisers of her wasting for spreading disaffection and disharmony through her speech there. Besides, the meeting had exceeded the time limit of 10 p.m. for its conclusion. The bandobast for the meeting had been arranged by the SP of Palanpur, A K Pandya, whose company fired two rounds in the air and arrested six persons who will be produced before a magistrate on Monday.

The police also registered 250 cases under the preventive section and 107 cases against vehicles and confiscated 90 per cent of the weapons of licence holders present at the venue. Vaghela told Business Standard after an election meeting at Daldi yesterday that it was the people of Palanpur who saved him by forming a human wall around his convoy and enabled him to reach a place of safety.

Only one person security officer Ravji Patel was hospitalised with a head wound while the windshield of a vehicle was smashed in the incident. Unlike in the last Assembly elections when only two companies were deployed in Radhanpur, there are 29 companies this time where Vaghela is seeking election to the state Assembly.

The public mood in this constituency appears to be strongly weighed in favour of Vaghela.