Supporters of pro-quota organisations — Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Sardar Patel Group (SPG) — were up in arms as they continued protest on Saturday and around 300 of them tonsured their head in protest of the custodial death of Patidar youth in north Gujarat town Mehsana.
They collected shaved-off hairs and send a parcel of hairs to key State Government functionaries, including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja, Chief Secretary JN Singh and Mehsana Collector.
According to SPG chief lalji Patel, already 150 men from Patidar community tonsured their head by Saturday afternoon and many more are coming forward. By late evening 300 people would shave their head in protest of the incident.
The supporters of agitating organisations are not satisfied with the reasons given by the police post custodial death of 30-year-old Ketan Patel on June 7. They are demanding a ‘fair’ probe into the case and also want the police officials responsible for the death of Patel to be charged with a case of murder.
Hundreds of Patidar community members, including the victim’s relatives, assembled outside the Mehsana Civil Hospital and expressed their anger by not accepting Ketan’s body. They accepted the body only after getting an assurance from senior officials that an investigation would be conducted.
The victim was arrested by the police on June 3 in a case of theft (Rs9,500). He succumbed after he was beaten brutally by cops as per SPG and PAAS supporters. Police however dismissed their allegations.