Guj tense, govt accepts demands

Ahmedabad, February 17

Various parts of Gujarat including Gandhinagar city remained tense as Dalits stoned buses and blocked highways following the death of Dalit leader Bhanuprasad Vankar, who had immolated himself on Thursday in front of Patan District Collector office. 

With more than 80 per cent burns, he succumbed to injuries on late night Friday.  The 65-year old Vankar was demanding early solution to the long-pending demands for land allotment to certain dalit families in north Gujarat villages.

Dalit leaders including the independent member of the State Assembly Jignesh Mevani gave a call for “Patan bandh”. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a high-level meeting and agreed to most of the demands of deceased’s kin,  including immediate allocation of land to the family of Hemaben Makwana in Dudkha village in Sami taluka of Patan district. — TNS