Life in Vanthali return to normalcy after bandh against sand-mining

Junagadh:

The life in Vanthali town of Junagadh district has retunred to normalcy today after two days bandh call and blockade.

Police on June 4 had to resort to at least 3 rounds of tear-gas shelling and detain over half a dozen protesters including local Congress MLA Jawahar Chavda to control a mob which had jammed the Junagadh Somnath highway in the town as part of a bandh call to protest the alleged illegal sand mining from the bed of river Ozat and attack on an RTI activist Nayan Kalola.

The bandh had evoked wide response as all the markets in the municipality town and the marketing yard remained closed. The local traders had also extended support to the bandh call. The protesters alleged had alleged that one of their leaders and RTI activist Nayan Kalola was allegedly kidnapped and attacked by alleged goons of sand-mafia.

Collector Junagadh Saurabh Parghi had by an interim order stopped the sand mining day before yesterday. Despite that the bandh continued yesterday as well demanding the arrest of attackers of Kalola. Police was yet to nab them.
The protesters have given an ultimatum of group suicide in the collector office on June 29 if the sand mafias were not taken to task and the sand mining not stopped completely. They were also demanding the immediate arrest of Kalola’s attackers.

DeshGujarat