Cops, BJP ban men in black at president's function

JASDAN: Fearing protests by Patidars, jittery BJP workers joined policemen and stopped several persons sporting black shirts and T-shirts from entering the venue of President Ramnath Kovind's function in Jasdan on Monday.
While police was keeping those with black shirts away, BJP had also deployed its workers at the public entrance gates to identify such people.They were either asked to leave the venue or wait outside till the programme ended.
Jasdan was one of those towns in Saurashtra which had witnessed violence after Patidar quota stir leader Har dik Patel's arrest in Ahmedabad in August 2015.
“I was wearing a black shirt and cops did not allow me to enter the venue. I was told to get another shirt or leave the venue. Unlike another programmes, there were no replacement Tshirts at the venue and hence, I had to wait outside till the programme was over,“ Kishan Ramsanghbhai, who had come from Atkot, said .
Kishan said BJP leaders had made arrangements for bringing people from the village. Majority of those who came from Atkot in three buses were women.
Ramesh Patel, another person who was turned away for wearing black T-shirt, said, “I came from Jasdan to see the President, but was asked to go out. Police told me that they had instructions not to allow black clothes.They suspected that I would wave my shirt in protest.“
However, there were some who could sneak inside. A BJP worker standing at the gate identified Kiran Parmar and asked the police to allow him. He said, “I did not even know the BJP worker who allowed me inside despite wearing a black shirt.There was a group of women and some youngsters who had come from Rajkot and I entered with this group.“
At the VIP gates and the public entrance gates, BJP workers stood guard to identify their people. “We were given a list of volunteers who would be coming and we were made to identify them.They in turn identified people whom they knew and it was only then that they were allowed entry,“ a BJP worker said.