Sabarkantha: On July 14, violent clashes broke out between dairy farmers and the police near Sabar dairy, located close to Himatnagar in Sabarkantha district, over the issue of milk procurement rates. The incident escalated to the point of stone-pelting and highway blockades. As a result, Himatnagar Police Station has filed a case against 74 named individuals, including former Bayad MLA and Sabardairy Director Jashu Patel, and nearly 1,000 unidentified protestors.
The unrest stemmed from dissatisfaction among dairy farmers over the milk purchase rates set by Sabar dairy. The protest turned violent when demonstrators broke through police barricades and stormed the dairy premises, engaging in heavy stone-pelting. Several individuals sustained head injuries during the chaos. As tensions rose, farmers blocked the Ahmedabad-Udaipur National Highway, forcing police to deploy around 70 tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
According to the FIR filed by Police Inspector P.M. Chaudhary, Jashu Patel and another individual, Dharmendrasinh Jethavat from Ankla village in Idar Taluka, allegedly incited the mob. Despite the fact that retention money had already been paid to farmers by Sabardairy on July 11, Patel reportedly used social media to falsely accuse the dairy’s chairman and directors of underpaying farmers and engaging in corrupt practices, as per the reports. These messages are said to have deliberately provoked unrest and urged people to gather at the dairy on July 14.
The complaint also alleges that the group, including Patel, conspired to mobilize a crowd of around 1,000 people by 10 a.m. on the morning of the protest. The crowd reportedly gathered illegally outside the main gate of Sabar dairy and raised inflammatory slogans, including threats to burn down the dairy along with its chairman and directors. Some protestors were armed with iron rods, wooden sticks, and stones.
When police attempted to calm the situation, members of the mob allegedly turned violent and attacked officers and staff. The situation quickly spiraled out of control, prompting the use of force to regain order.
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