AAP MLA booked for protest at Gujarat industrial unit after blast

Bharuch, Dec 11 (PTI) Police have registered a case against AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava and 10 others for their protest at an industrial unit in Gujarat's Bharuch district hours after an explosion there last week claimed four lives, officials said on Wednesday.

The legislator, for getting "publicity", allegedly incited the crowd and tried to prevent police from taking the bodies for post-mortem, as per the First Information Report (FIR).

Vasava and the others have been booked on charges of obstructing on-duty police, inciting people and putting their lives in danger by holding the protest at the unit after the explosion, police said.

Four workers were killed after a storage tank exploded at the industrial unit in Ankleshwar GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) area of the district on December 3.

The blast occurred when the labourers were working atop a storage tank inside the premises of Detox India Pvt Ltd, which is into industrial waste treatment.

The Ankleshwar GIDC police staff, led by sub-inspector AV Shiyalia, later reached the spot for a probe into the incident and to help authorities in securing the area, as per the FIR.

At that time, Vasava, the MLA from Dediapada, and 10 of his supporters reached the spot and insisted on entering the company premises to register their protest over the deaths of workers.

Since the premises were not declared hazard-free at that point, police stopped them at the gate, as per the FIR.

After being stopped, Vasava allegedly incited the crowd, saying the police were deployed to save the company, not to give justice to the relatives of the deceased, it said.

Despite being warned by police, Vasava and his supporters put people's lives in danger as they first entered inside the gate and then called the others in, said the FIR.

Vasava and others then sat in front of the gate and prevented police vehicles as well as a mortuary van from entering the premises. The MLA also threatened to get the company closed permanently, it said.

The legislator, for getting "publicity", allegedly incited the crowd and tried to prevent police from taking the bodies for post-mortem, the FIR said.

Due to the blockade at the main gate, police were forced to use another gate on the back side to transfer bodies to a nearby hospital for post-mortem, it said.

Based on a complaint by sub-inspector Shiyalia, the Ankleshwar GIDC police on Tuesday registered the FIR against Vasava and 10 of his supporters, inspector RH Vala said, adding no arrest has been made yet.

Vasava has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 224 (threat of injury to public servant), 329-3 (criminal trespass) and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), Vala added.

This is the second FIR against the AAP MLA in a week.

On December 7, Vasava and his party workers were booked for allegedly holding a protest march without permission at Rajpardi village in Bharuch, leading to traffic snarls. PTI COR PJT PD GK