Violence erupted in the Prabhas Patan area of Veraval town in Gujarat's Gir-Somnath district on Monday, leading to a police lathicharge and the firing of teargas shells. The clash occurred when officials moved to demolish a dargah that was allegedly built illegally on government land.
Demolition Drive Turns Violent
According to Gir-Somnath Superintendent of Police Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, the district administration was carrying out a planned demolition of 12 illegally constructed properties on government land survey number 831. While 11 of these structures, including residences and shops, were demolished peacefully, a confrontation arose over the Hazrat Rangeelashah Dargah.
SP Jadeja stated that locals intervened, claiming a previous officer had promised the religious structure would be spared. "When the boundary wall of the dargah was demolished, about 100 women and children came out and the argument intensified," he told The Indian Express. The situation escalated rapidly when a mob began pelting stones at the police team.
Police Response and Arrests
In response to the stone-pelting, the police first attempted a lathicharge to disperse the crowd. As the situation grew more dire, they resorted to firing three teargas shells to bring the mob under control.
Following the incident, authorities have arrested 13 individuals so far, with more arrests likely. An FIR was registered at the Prabhas Patan police station based on a complaint by Deputy Mamlatdar Ranjeetsinh R Kher. A total of 17 people and a crowd of others have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:
- Unlawful assembly
- Rioting
- Assaulting or obstructing a public servant
- Endangering human life and personal safety
- Causing hurt to a public servant
They were also booked under Section 135 of The Gujarat Police Act.
Demolition Completed, Investigation Ongoing
After the crowd was controlled, the demolition of the dargah was completed. The remaining debris was cleared out by Tuesday morning. SP Jadeja confirmed that the demolition drive was necessary as all structures were built on illegally occupied government land. The location of the incident is notably barely 1 km from the famous Somnath Temple.
Police have stated that a further investigation into the violence is currently underway.
