Six held, SC/ST panel member comes today

The Surendrangar police have lodged two separate FIRs in connection with the police firing in Than in which three dalits youths were killed.

Surendrangar SP Raghvendra Vatsa said the two FIRs were lodged late Sunday night and six persons were arrested by Monday evening.

Rajkot Range Inspector General of Police, Pravin Sinha, said three companies of State Reserve Police were deployed in the town along with local police.

Meanwhile, Rajubhai Parmar, a member of National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, said he had called up Surendranagar SP and told him that it was "irresponsible" of him to have been at Limbdi for the Chief Minister's bandobast while knowing the situation in Than was tense and could deteriorate.

According to Parmar, he also told Vats that the police did not seem to have followed the standard protocol like resorting to a lathicharge or lobbing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd before opening fire. He said many of the victims were shot above waist.

Parmar, who was in Kutch district at the time of the incident, said he would visit Than on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

Cong to observe bandh today

AHMEDABAD: Condemning the killing of three dalit youths in police firing in Than, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) today announced to observe bandh in the town on Tuesday.

The party demanded registration of a murder case against sub-inspector K P Jadeja and suspension of the district superintendent of police. The party also demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family members of each of the deceased.

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