Himmatnagar
Police deployed approximately 90 tear gas shells as villagers blocked a major highway and engaged in vandalism near Himmatnagar town in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district on Friday for nearly thirty minutes, following the tragic death of a local resident in a road accident, a government official reported.
The incident occurred on National Highway 48 when a young person from Gamdi village lost his life instantly after being struck by a speeding car in the morning, the official stated. This highway links Himmatnagar town with Shamlaji town in Gujarat and extends further to Udaipur in Rajasthan.
Sabarkantha district’s Superintendent of Police, Vijay Patel, explained that residents of Gamdi village were already frustrated due to the delayed construction of a flyover near their village.
To regain control, additional police forces were summoned, and approximately 90 tear gas shells were deployed to disperse the crowd and clear the blockade, he added. Patel mentioned that local police would file separate First Information Reports (FIRs) – one for the fatal accident and another against the villagers for engaging in violence.
The villagers expressed that such accidents occur due to the delay in flyover construction on the highway. Although the flyover near Gamdi village was approved and a contractor was assigned previously, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) blacklisted the contractor for failing to commence work on time, Patel elaborated.
