Gujarat: Cong corporator among 49 held for 'attack' on cops during anti-CAA protest

A Congress corporator and 48 others were arrested here on Friday for attack on police personnel during a protest in the city against the new citizenship law and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), officials said.

The protest in Shah-e-Alam area of the city on Thursday turned violent forcing the police to lob teargas shells to disperse around 5,000 protestors.

Twenty-six police personnel were injured after a mob resorted to stone pelting during the protest. Congress corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan had provoked the mob, the police claimed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Bipin Ahire, ACP R B Rana and J M Solanki an inspector posted at Isanpur police station were among the 26 policemen injured in the stone pelting, they said.

"We have registered an FIR against 5,000 people. While 50 were named in the case, 49, including Congress corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan, were arrested on Friday. They have been booked for attempt to murder, rioting and assaulting police," Solanki, who has suffered injuries on his head, said.

He added that the Congress corporator was detained on Thursday and arrested on Friday.

"When we were taking Pathan away in our vehicle yesterday, he asked the locals to take revenge and not spare any policeman. His provocation led to the attack on the police," Solanki alleged.

He added that the situation in the area was under control.

A video clip telecast by a local news channel purportedly showed agitators hurling stones at police vehicles. In the footage, some policemen could be seen taking cover behind police vehicles to save themselves. Another video purportedly showed some people thrashing a police personnel who fell down from a moving police bus.

Alp-Sankhyak Adhikar Manch, an organisation working for the minority communities, had given a call for bandh in Ahmedabad on Thursday.