Alpesh Thakor denies involvement in violence over Sabarkantha rape

Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Alpesh Thakor on Sunday dismissed allegations of fanning violence against migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha.

"This is unfortunate. We have never advocated violence; we have only talked about peace. All Indians are safe in Gujarat," Thakor told ANI. He also said that the situation in Gujarat was being falsely portrayed.

Thakor, who heads the 'Kshatriya Thakor Sena', said on Wednesday that he will sit on a fast outside Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Ashram on October 8 to seek justice for the girl child who was raped.

The girl was raped by a migrant worker at Dhundhar in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The police have arrested a migrant worker from Bihar, as a suspect in the incident.

Following the incident, the members of Thakor Sena staged protests in the northern part of the state and demanded that people from other states should not be given jobs in Gujarat.

Earlier this week, violence erupted in parts of north Gujarat over the rape of the infant during which non-Gujarati natives, particularly those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were targeted.

Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha said that over 150 people were arrested for targeting those hailing from other states in the violence that erupted in various parts of Gujarat.