Clashes mar Navratri celebrations in Ahmedabad

While Navratri is synonymous with revelry for most in the city, there are also some who find the resulting noise pollution difficult to bear. In one such case, harassed residents approached a garba organiser with the request that the volume of music be lowered, but with drastic consequences. The organiser and his men beat up the complainants, and one of them even lost his life in the incident.

The incident took place when some residents of Shivam Bungalows on Anandnagar Road approached one Purushottam Bhadodariya, manager of nearby Madhur Hall, with the request that the volume of their music system be lowered. They told Bhadodariya that the loud music was disturbing them.

However, the incident snowballed into a major clash after Bhadodariya and his men turned violent. A heated argument ensued, after which the manager and his men thrashed the residents and dragged them out of the venue. Those attacked reportedly included a 68-year old as well, who died in hospital on Thursday.

"We requested Bhadodariya, but he and six other men present there were in no mood to listen to us.  On the contrary, they started abusing us and beat us up," stated Upendra Patel, a resident of Shivam Bungalows located behind Madhur Hall, in his FIR.

Bipin Shah, 68, who was also reportedly beaten up during the brawl, died after the incident. He was suffering from a heart ailment since fifteen years, and the brawl reportedly aggravated his medical condition. However, Satellite police inspector HB Jamod said that Shah's death was on account of his ailment alone, and not the brawl. A case of rioting has been registered in this connection.