Congress MLA, 40 others booked for violence during demolition drive

Rajkot: Congress MLA from Somnath, Vimal Chudasama, and 40 other men and women were booked on charges of rioting after the group resorted to stone-pelting during a demolition drive in Prabhas Patan town of Gir Somnath district on Friday.
The complaint was lodged by Anil Bhagat, deputy mamlatdar at the Veraval City mamlatdar office, who named Chudasama and 26 others along with other unidentified people. Fifteen people were detained until late night.
According to the complaint, a demolition drive was initiated on a plot to bring down illegal structures, including shops and houses. However, at around 10:15 am, Chudasama, accompanied by a mob, arrived at the site and aggressively opposed the action. The protest resulted in briefly halting the demolition.
Police officials present at the site tried to disperse the mob, but the mob allegedly resorted to stone-pelting. Assistant sub-inspector Hiren Zala and a couple of other officers sustained injuries.
To prevent further escalation, the police used mild lathicharge to disperse the mob.