Scuffle breaks out at Hardik Patel's poll meet

Congress's star campaigner Hardik Patel had to leave his election meet in the city after a scuffle broke out at the venue. Several people were injured while police detained five persons who are said to be supporters of Alpesh Kathiria, an associate of Hardik Patel and convener of Patidar Anamant Andolan Samiti (PAAS) that spearheaded the agitation for reservation movement in the state.

On Saturday late in the evening when Hardik Patel was about to begin his speech in Nikol area, a commotion erupted and plastic chairs were flung in the air by a group of about a dozen people. They started raising slogans and alleged that "Hardik is a traitor."

After the incident, Hardik alleged that the protest against him was "staged by BJP." He circulated a letter claiming that he had informed the Ahmedabad police commissioner the previous day that his election meet may be targeted.

The police denied that Hardik Patel was "attacked" and said that those protested are supporters of Surat-based PAAS leader Alpesh Kathiria. They were demanding the release of Kathiria and alleged that Hardik was not doing anything to get him out of jail. Akshayraj Makwana, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-4, in which Nikol area falls, told reporters that five persons who were residents of Surat were detained, though no complaint has been lodged by anyone.

As a matter of fact, protests by Kathiria's group started days after Hardik officially joined the Congress in presence of party's president Rahul Gandhi in Gandhinagar in March. After joining the party, Hardik had hosted PAAS activists in Ahmedabad where a similar commotion had taken place against him.