Four more arrested for Hathikhana rioting

VADODARA: The detection of crime branch (DCB) arrested four more persons on Tuesday in connection with the rioting that broke out in Hathikhana area on December 20.
The police said that all the four are prime accused and had planned violent protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The cops had been searching for the accused over last two weeks and had made different teams to track them down.They were arrested from Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Godhra. “The four were part of the plan hatched to create trouble in Hathikhana area. They were involved in rioting and instigating the mobs too,” said Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, DCP (crime).
The police said that all the accused have offences registered against them. While 28-year-old Shahrukh Pathan, 36-year-old Sabir Sheikh and 34-year-old Waseem Sheikh were booked for assault by Panigate police in January this year, Javed Pathan was arrested for rioting by the city police in 2017.
The police said that the key accused had planned to create trouble during a rally to protest against CAA in the city. But since the cops didn’t give permission to the rally, they instigated the Hathikhana residents on December 20. The accused, who were arrested earlier, also include a man from West Bengal who settled in the city 20 years ago.
Three cops were injured and several vehicles damaged when rioting broke out in Hathikhana on December 20 over videography being done by the cops. The police had to fire two rounds and lob 30 teargas shells to disperse the rioters who pelted stones at them. The crime branch also seized weapons including swords and daggers from one of the accused in the riots.
The police later identified the accused from the CCTVs installed in the area and formed several teams to nab them. Some of the accused were arrested from a plush flat in Tandalja where they were hiding after the riots.