AHMEDABAD/ VADODARA: Triggered by the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha in north
Gujarat, hate crimes targeting non-Gujaratis spread to central parts of the state as eight contractual workers were attacked at the 'Bal Amul' plant near Anand late on Sunday night.
Nine persons were arrested for attacking migrants at the plant, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30.
With the situation worsening, chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar called up their Gujarat counterpart to express concern over violent attacks on migrants. UP CM Yogi Adityanath urged Vijay Rupani to take strict action against those involved in the attacks. "Our chief secretary and the director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters in Patna.In 10 days till Monday, 56 cases of attacks on migrants, mainly from UP and Bihar, have been registered across Gujarat in which 431 arrests have been made. The incidents have primarily occurred in areas like Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and later spreading to Vadodara, Anand and Panchmahals in central Gujarat which has a sizeable population of Thakor community, which the 14-month old survivor belongs to.
In Ahmedabad, over 100 migrants fled for life after a godown near Kabir Temple in Vastral was set afire late on Sunday night. The cyber crime cell arrested eight persons for posting hate messages against migrants in state.
Gandhinagar cops on Monday arrested Congress leader Mahot Thakor, a member of Gandhinagar district panchayat and Thakor sena, an outfit floated by Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor. He along with four others were nabbed after a video of Mahot threatening migrants to leave Uvarsad village in next 24 hours went viral.