Seven Patel activists held for trying to enforce shutdown

Seven activists of the Patel community, which has been agitating for quotas, were on Sunday arrested for trying to forcibly close shops during a shutdown call in north Gujarat's Visnagar town, police said.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) on Sunday gave a shutdown call in Mehsana and Visnagar demanding action against security forces for an alleged firing incident during a rally on August 26 where pro-quota leader Mayur Patel was injured. Patel died of his wounds on Saturday.

Police arrested seven PAAS supporters for trying to forcibly close shops in a local market in Visnagar.

On Saturday, an angry crowd vandalised the BJP office in Mehsana town after Mayur Patel's death.

Hundreds of people took out a funeral procession, when a mob pelted stones and smashed window panes of the district BJP office. BJP workers fled the office, which was later cordoned off by police to prevent any further attack.