Gujarat: Mohan Delkar supporters protest, seek removal of Praful Patel

A STRING of protests seeking the removal of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administrator Praful Khoda Patel were held in parts of Silvassa municipality days after he was named, among others, in the “suicide note” of seven-term MP Mohan Delkar, who died by suicide at a Mumbai hotel on February 22.

On Monday, a group of villagers at Baman Faliya in Baldevi ward of Silvassa municipality hanged an effigy of Patel and took out a mock funeral procession before setting it afire to express their discontent against the administrator of the Union Territory. On Sunday evening, too, some local residents burnt an effigy and shouted slogans demanding Patel’s ouster as the DHN administrator.

Leader of Opposition at Silvassa municipality and four-time councillor Sumanbhai Patel said Monday that the people of DNH “are losing patience as no action has been taken against the accused named in the FIR lodged at Mumbai’s Marine Drive police station”. Known to be a staunch supporter of the late MP, Sumanbhai Patel said, “Mohanbhai Delkar was a mass leader and everybody loved him. Since his death, several programmes have been organised in Silvassa by his supporters. We also took part in such protests demanding that all those named in the FIR should be transferred out from Silvassa, including the UT’s administrator Praful Patel.”

Based on a 15-page “suicide note”, written by Delkar in Gujarati, and a complaint submitted by the late MP’s son Abhinav, Mumbai police on March 9 had registered an offence against nine persons, including Praful Patel, Sand-eep Singh (district collector of DNH), Sharad Darade (then Superintendent of Police of DNH, now transferred to Daman police headquarters), Apurva Sharma (resident deputy collector of DNH), Manasvi Jain (sub-divisional officer, police department), Manoj Patel (police inspector Silvassa), Rohit Yadav (DNH administrative department official), Fethsinh Chauhan (BJP leader, DNH), and Dilip Patel (Talati of Silvassa). The FIR was registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Atrocity Act.

Sumanbhai Patel said Delkar’s supporters were planning to take out rallies, organise a chakka jam and call a bandh (strike) in Silvassa if no action was initiated against the nine accused in the coming days. “We have got the support of Mohan Delkar’s wife and son. They have told us that they will take part in the protest,” he added.

Earlier, villagers at Randha village opposed a programme organised by the DNH district administration at the government school and showed black flags to the mamlatdar and government officials who had reached on the spot to conduct the event. The officials had to call off the programme and leave the village under police protection.