On July 22, Ahmedabad was the site of multiple protests, led initially by the Congress party under the banner of the “Aakrosh Rally.” This event commenced at the Congress state headquarters in Paldi, spearheaded by Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda. Although the rally lacked prior official notification, it was intended to start at 11 am.

By approximately 10:30 am, Congress party leaders and supporters had assembled at their headquarters. Anticipating the demonstration, police had already deployed personnel around the office due to the rally being organised without permission. Shortly after 11:10 am, Chavda led the march from the headquarters, where party members exhibited banners and chanted slogans directed against the government.

Chavda addressed the media before the march, asserting that the government must heed the demands of students. He called for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and accused the government of failing to apologise for the alleged mistreatment of students as well as the incident involving opposition leader Rahul Gandhi near the Prime Minister’s residence.

Police Response and BJP’s Protest Announcement

As soon as the Congress procession commenced, police intervened to halt the march. Following a refusal from Congress members to comply, a confrontation ensued. Chavda and some other leaders took to a sit-in protest on the road, while a few attempted to climb onto a police vehicle to voice their concerns. This led to a brief altercation, resulting in the detention of several Congress leaders and supporters.

In response to the situation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared it would hold a protest outside the Congress headquarters at 2 pm. By approximately 1:30 pm, there was a heavy police presence on roads leading to the Congress office, as noted by Ahmedabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jitendra Agrawal. He reported that approximately 2,000 police personnel were deployed to avert any further clashes. Aerial surveillance was conducted using drones, and water cannons were stationed as a precautionary measure.

Seizing control of the situation, police approached Congress leaders before the BJP protest to advise them against exiting the headquarters. Although initial discussions were contentious, eventual compliance was reached. As the time approached 2 pm, two DJ systems were set up near the barricades, prompting objections from Congress leaders when their music began.

Youth Protests Emerge Later in the Day

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