Dalit man stripped, beaten up at eatery in Gujarat, MLA Jignesh Mevani threatens state bandh
Ahmedabad, Nov 4: A 30-year-old Dalit man was thrashed allegedly by four men from an OBC community on late Sunday night in Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on a petty issue, police said on Monday.
As per the complaint filed with police, Pragnesh Parmar was hit by Mahesh Thakor, Jogi Thakor and two others when he went to Mahesh's eatery for dinner and accidentally dropped a dish, said Inspector RH Vala of Sabarmati police station.
The matter escalated on Monday with Dalit leader and Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani threatening a "Gujarat bandh" if the accused were not arrested within 24 hours.
"When Parmar accidentally dropped a dish while eating on Sunday night, the accused first scolded and abused Parmar and his friend, and beat him up. He has been hospitalised," said Vala.
Vala said a case of attempt to murder has been lodged against Mahesh Thakor and three others and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked.
Mahesh Thakor has been arrested while efforts were on to nab the other three, he added.
In a tweet with a video purportedly of the incident, Mevani said, "I will declare a Gujarat bandh if the police does not arrest the perpetrators in 24 hours who attempted lynching of two Dalit youth in Ahmedabad yesterday night"
"Don't think Dalits are cowards: we believe in Constitution!" Mevani's tweet further said.
TW: Abusive words and violence
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) November 4, 2019
I will declare a Gujarat Bandh if the police does not arrest the perpetrators in 24 hours who attempted lynching of two Dalit youth in Ahmedabad yesterday night. Don't think Dalits are cowards: we believe in Constitution! pic.twitter.com/1Ge5Nw76Se
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
