Gujarat polls: 4 hurt in firing by BJP legislator`s bodyguard, MLA detained

Ahmedabad: The bodyguard of a BJP candidate and sitting MLA opened fire after some stones were pelted at the leader by some people in Tarsang village, resulting in the injury to four of them.

Jetha Bharwad, the MLA from Sahera in Panchmahal district and seeking a re-election, was later detained, DGP Chittranjan Singh said. According to Panchmahal SP Sachin Badshah, "When Bharwad reached Tarsang village, suddenly some stone were pelted on him. His commando retaliated and opened 8-10 rounds of fire in which four people were injured, though they all are out of danger now," he said. Tarsang village is around 165 km from here. Police detained Bharwad while he was still undergoing treatment for head injuries at a private hospital in Godhra town of Panchmahal. "At present, Jetha Bharwad is under detention and further probe is underway to ascertain who exactly fired, Bharwad or his commando," said Singh. Meanwhile Congress candidate Takhatsingh Solanki, who is pitted against Bharwad from Sahera, claimed that Bharwad came to the village for bogus voting and that he staged the stone pelting. "It was pre-planned by Jetha Bharwad so that he can terrorise the voters of my village and resort to bogus voting. Otherwise he has no business to enter in my village at the time of voting," Solanki claimed. PTI