Traders held for 2006 protests

AHMEDABAD: Two traders, who were arrested on Tuesday for a protest they launched against octroi some 18 months back, were sent to Sabarmati jail after rural magistrate MP Patel rejected their bail pleas. Trade bodies began to protest after Prakash Kapadia and Jayendra Tanna, who represent the Octroi Hatao Samiti, were arrested.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kapadia and Tanna were arrested from their homes and taken to the Vejalpur police station on charges of rioting and damaging government properties.Traders, who were present at the police station, shouted slogans against the establishment and demanded immediate release of the accused. The duo was later taken to the court for the hearing of their bail application.
Traders had united on April 5, 2006 to protest against octroi system and implementation of value added tax (VAT) and demanded immediate abolition of the obsolete law. Tanna was president of Gujarat Vyapari Hitrakshak Samiti (GVHS) and Kapadia was heading Quick Action Vigilance Committee (QAVC) at the time of the demonstrations.
GVHS vice-president Naresh Shah said in a release that the "police had made out a fake case against our leaders. During the compromise, minister of state for home Amit Shah had assured before 50-odd traders that these cases would be withdrawn against them, but the government did not keep its word."
The demonstration took an ugly turn when the agitators ransacked the office of octroi checkpost, followed by a clash between the traders and police. The police then arrested 16 persons while GVHS and QAVC presidents were declared absconders after they were not caught for months.
The duo surrendered before the rural court and filed bail applications. Bharat Kapadia of the Octroi Hatao Samiti told TOI that "it was on account of this agitation that the government decided to abolish octroi".