Surat: Udhna police booked seven persons for allegedly burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan during a protest held in support of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and against the alleged NEET paper leak.The accused have been charged under the BNS for unlawful assembly and endangering human life, besides provisions of the Gujarat Police Act for violating the police commissioner’s notification by staging a protest without permission.The FIR was registered by assistant sub-inspector Mohansinh Ratansinh after a video of the protest went viral on social media.According to the police, the protesters raised slogans in support of Wangchuk and against the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Two of the accused were carrying effigies bearing photographs of Prime Minister Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan, while another protester was holding a photograph of Dr B R Ambedkar.The group gathered on the footpath near Daksheshwar Temple Circle in Udhna, where they allegedly splashed black ink on the photographs attached to the effigies before setting them on fire.Police said the accused did not obtain prior permission for the demonstration. Since inflammable material was allegedly used during the protest on a public road, they were also booked for acts endangering public safety.Four of the seven accused named in the FIR have been detained for questioning. During the investigation, police found that one of the accused is a ward president of the Congress in Surat. Further investigation is underway.
