Protesting with ‘bouncers’: Tomato vendors arrested, protest organiser on the run, say police

An SP worker had allegedly deployed bouncers at vendor Jagnarayan Yadav’s shop as a protest against the rising tomato prices.

The district police have arrested a vegetable vendor and his son after the latter protested against the recent hike in tomato prices with bouncers guarding vegetables at his shop. Meanwhile, a Samajwadi Party worker Ajai Fauji, who organised the protest in the Nagwa area of Varanasi on Sunday, was at large, police said.

While the father and son were arrested and imprisoned in the Varanasi district jail, Fauji was said to be on the run. (File)

Fauji had allegedly deployed bouncers at vendor Jagnarayan Yadav’s shop as a protest against the rising tomato prices.

After the matter came to light, the police registered a case against Fauji, the vendor and his son Vikas Yadav on the complaint of the Nagwa police outpost in-charge. The trio were booked under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and 505 (2) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), police officials said.

While the father and son were arrested and imprisoned in the Varanasi district jail, Fauji was said to be on the run.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress leaders, led by the party’s Varanasi unit president Raghvendra Chaubey, on Tuesday met the tomato vendor and his son at the district jail.

After the meeting, Chaubey said, “…we have met the poor vegetable vendors. We will extend them all possible support. Everyone has the right to express their opinion.”

Commenting on the development, Congress party district president Rajeshwar Singh Patel remarked that peacefully protesting against the skyrocketing prices of vegetables was not allowed anymore.