Agencies
Ranchi, May 15: Attacks on the three Reliance Fresh stores took a new twist on Monday, when Janta Dal (United) leader George Fernandes came in support of the protesting vegetable vendors.
As authorities promulgated a prohibitory order in the area and beefed up security around the Reliance Fresh stores, Fernandes vowed to fight for the vendors. “I have come here to fight against the injustice meted out to the vegetable vendors,” he told reporters. “I will meet the vendors and take stock of the situation.”
However, Ranchi residents purchased vegetables amid heavy security at the stores - a project promoted by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. Nearly 20 personnel of the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP), wielding batons and automatic weapons, were deployed outside each of the three stores.
“It was a different experience to buy vegetables from Reliance Fresh shops. The heavy security arrangement makes it look like we are in an insurgency-hit area,” said Gautam Kumar, a consumer. The consumers blamed the police for the violence on Saturday where 13 people were arrested for the violence. Two policemen were suspended for dereliction of duty.
This was the second time in a week that vendors took out processions to protest the opening of the Reliance stores. The stores buy the produce directly from farmers at higher prices and since middlemen are eliminated, it retails it at much lower rates.
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