Gujarat: 12 Youth Congress workers arrested for showing black flags to Suresh Prabhu

Surat: At least 12 Youth Congress workers on Sunday were arrested for showing black flags to Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and garlanding him with black cloth as soon he stepped out of his vehicle in Nanpura.

Alleging the Centre of negligence towards Gujarat as far as the Railway Budget is concerned, the workers staged a protest and also offered a lollipop to the minister.

The party workers had reportedly posed as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters and approached Prabhu. 

A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 143, 145, 147, 149, 151, 353 and 120B.

The BJP leader was in the city to lay foundation stone for several rail projects in the state.

After the incident, Prabhu went on to attend the lined-up programmes. He addressed a gathering at the Digi-dhan Mela in the city and spread awareness about digital payments. He also addressed the members of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI).

Prabhu later, in a series of tweets, said he `laid foundation stone and dedicated to nation a host of rail infrastructure and passenger amenities across Gujarat at Surat`. He also laid the foundation stone for `35 Road Under Bridges across Gujarat`.