The Hindu : National : Surat kidnapping generates anti-Modi sentiments

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Surat kidnapping generates anti-Modi sentiments

Special Correspondent

18-month-old Pransu Siroya was kidnapped on Sunday evening

AHMEDABAD: After the Koli Patels went on warpath against the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat over the alleged rape and murder of two community girls in Junagadh, the “Patidar Patels” (the land-owning farmers) have trained their guns on the Chief Minister over the kidnapping of an 18-month-old boy in Surat.

The dissident BJP member of the Assembly, Dhirubhai Gajera, who was one of the organisers of the last week’s “Patidar Mahasammelan” where all anti-Modi forces assembled on one platform, strongly criticised the “fast deteriorating law and order situation” and said only one person (Mr. Modi himself) was “safe” in the State.

Referring to the Junagadh and Surat incidents, he said the ordinary citizens, farmers and people from all other walks of life felt “unsafe.” in the State. “The only person who is safe and for whom all kinds of safety measures are taken is Mr Modi himself,” he remarked. Mr. Gajera warned that the Patidar Patels would oppose Mr. Modi if the Government failed to solve major crime issues.

The 18-month-old Pransu Siroya was allegedly kidnapped on Sunday evening by the security guard of the Saptarshi Housing Society in Surat, where the boy was staying with his parents and grandparents, but so far the police had not been able to trace the kidnappers.

Surat Police Commissioner R.M.S. Brar told media persons that four teams had been dispatched to Ahmedabad, Maharashtra and Orissa to trace the culprits. The boy might have been taken away to Orissa from where the security guard, Rushi, hails. But the police are baffled over the reason for kidnapping because so far no demand for ransom had been received nor his father, an ordinary employee in a diamond unit in Surat, was wealthy enough to pay the heavy ransom.

The police arrested seven persons, including the owner of the security agency that had employed Rushi for questioning, but no lead was found as the agency lacked background information about its employees except a noting that Rushi hailed from Puri. The police also released a sketch of the absconding security guard.

Coming close on the heels of the rape and murder of the Koli girls in Datar hills in Junagadh on May 15, the Surat kidnapping is generating a lot of anti-Modi sentiments among the people. Even after a month of the Datar incident, the accused had not been traced and this had alienated the strong Koli community from the ruling party.

A deputy minister, Purshottam Solanki, resigned from the Modi Cabinet over the issue but it was not accepted by the Chief Minister.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section