Friends of US-based NRI withdraw fast

They went on fast to protest police failure in arresting local head of a socio-religious organisation, who is behind the murder.

Three friends of a US-based NRI who was murdered this June have withdrawn their agitation against alleged police "failure" to arrest local head of a socio-religious organisation, saying they would resume it if the state government does not any action in 30 days.

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The friends, who had begun a fast unto death on Thursday alleging police inaction in arresting the head of Swadhaya Parivar who they claimed was behind the murder of Pankaj Trivedi, withdrew their agitation on Thursday night.

"As the Gujarat government is busy in relief and rehabilitation work in the flood-affected districts of the state we have withdrawn our fast," a friend of Trivedi said.

They said the state government had been given a time of 30 days to take action against the leader, Jayshree Talwalkar (Didi) failing which they would once again sit on fast unto death, Bhupendra Patel friend of Trivedi, added.

Patel alleged that she (Talwalkar) was behind the murder of Trivedi after the latter exposed financial irregularities in the organisation, but the police had so far neither questioned her nor made any efforts to arrest her.

Trivedi was clubbed to death outside the Ellisbridge Gymkhana on June 15.