Police lathicharge textile traders in Surat

SURAT: BJP MP CR Paatil's move to divide the leaders of textile traders' community to end the indefinite strike has backfired with tens of thousands of traders joining the protest and keeping their shops shut on Monday.

On Sunday, Paatil had organised a meeting of the textile traders wherein a decision was taken by a few leaders to open the shops from Monday.

The situation at the textile markets on Ring Road was tensed in the morning hours when the BJP MP moved in the markets urging the traders to open their shops. The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge when the traders shouted slogans against Paatil and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

About 12 traders were detained by the police during the protest at the Millennium Market on Monday morning. A huge presence of traders was seen at the Millennium Market following the lathi-charge.

One of the traders is learnt to have sustained serious head injuries when the police opened lathi-charge to disperse the mobs at the Millennium Market.
Meanwhile, all the 165 textile markets located at Ring Road, Sahara Darwaja and Salabatpura have been shut on the part of the indefinite bandh call given by the Textile GST Sangarsh Samiti (TGSS).

Vimal Jalan, a textile trader at Jash market, said, "The BJP MP is responsible for dividing the traders. The MP literally moved with the police on Ring Road to force the traders to open their shops. It was when the traders refused, the police resorted to lathi-charge. Now, the situation has gone out of control. We will not open our shops"

The leaders of textile traders' community, who appealed to the traders to open their shops and accept GST, have gone underground sensing the anger among the traders.

Till writing of this report, there is a huge presence of the traders at Millennium Market at Ring Road. Slogan shouting is still continuing against Paatil and the central government.

"We will not accept GST on fabrics. The GST will ruin our trade and that the small traders will have to shut their shops," said Ganesh Agarwal, a textile

trader.