Patel protesters cane-charged during Gujarat CM's roadshow

Mehsana: Police resorted to cane charge to disperse hundreds of Patel community members when they tried to go near Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who was in the town for an election roadshow on Tuesday.

On learning about the CM's roadshow for the upcoming local body polls, around 500 men and women from the community, which is agitating for reservation under OBC quota, gathered in Nagalpur area to stage protest against her.

As soon as the protesters jumped the barricades and tried to move towards Anandiben, police lathicharge them, said an official. "It was just a minor lathicharge to disperse them. No one was injured," said the official.

A similar incident took place in nearby Visnagar town, where a large number of Patel community members came on the road to stage protest against the CM over the quota issue, said a Police Control Room official.

Anandiben was in Visnagar to campaign for BJP for the December 29 district panchayat polls.