JOIN USA 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three men on June 12 here in a moving car. The accused have been arrested and are in police custody.
Many schools, colleges, business establishments and offices remained open in various parts of the city. Textile and diamond market were functioning as usual. Mahagujarat Janta Party (MJP) members protesting in Chok Bazaar area asked the shopkeepers to keep their shutters down and join the bundh call. Some of the MJP leaders including Fakirbhai Chauhan were detained by the police.
VHP workers detained
In Bhagal area, businessmen observed bundh and kept their shops closed. The state police, as a precautionary measure, detained 50 VHP workers including city unit secretary of VHP Utkarsh Patel and RSS leader Suresh Master.
Commissioner of Police, Shivanand Jha said: “The situation is normal in Surat. Vehicular traffic and city buses are running. Life is pretty peaceful.” “We have detained some people who we thought could create trouble on the bundh day,” he said.
Security in the city was beefed up in wake of the bundh call by the VHP from Sunday night. Six companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP) and 500 home guards were deployed in various sensitive areas like Salabatpura, Chok Bazaar, Rander and Limbayat.
Sahid Saiyed, Tariq Saiyed and Abu Bakr allegedly abducted the girl and raped her in a moving car. The incident has sparked off a chain of protests across the state with various organisations and public demanding stern action against the accused.