GANDHINAGAR, Sept 27: The killing of seven people in police firing during the Ganeshotsav procession in Surat on Friday has rocked the ruling BJP, with senior party leader and Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana urging Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to direct the Keshubhai Patel Government to suspend Surat Police Commissioner Kuldip Sharma.Rana also spoke to Union Home Minister L K Advani on the phone and apprised him of the ``tension and resentment in Surat in the wake of the thoughtless police firing''.He met the Chief Minister late this evening and reiterated his demand for the suspension of Kuldip Sharma. Rana was closeted with the Chief Minister for about an hour. He is leaving for Delhi tomorrow enroute to Lucknow to campaign for the party. While in UP, Rana will take the opportunity to meet senior party leaders, including Vajpayee and Advani.``The suspension of two IPS officers for their alleged lapses has partially helped assuage the hurt feelings of people of Surat. But, the only way to completely pacify Surtis is immediate suspension of Sharma,'' Rana told Newsline minutes before he met the Chief Minister.Putting the blame squarely on the Surat police chief, Rana said it was due to the ``adamant attitude and rank arrogance of the police commissioner'' that seven innocent people had lost their lives. The incident could have been averted had the police acted tactfully, he claimed.Welcoming the government's decision to place under suspension Additional Police Commissioner Vipul Vijoy and DCP Manoj Agrawal, Rana demanded that similar action be initiated against Kuldip Sharma before the judicial probe ordered by the government into the incident begins.``The police brutality has certainly tarnished the BJP Government's image in the State and it is high time that it initiates corrective measures to instil confidence among its people'', the Union Minister said. He also criticised Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya for not visiting Surat even three days after the firing took place there.Endorsing Rana's demand, State Water Supply Minister Narottam Patel said, ``Kuldip Sharma is the main culprit and must be suspended forthwith to set an example''. Patel, who met the Chief Minister on Sunday, described the firing as ``mindless and avoidable''. The cops could have used rubber bullets, he said, adding, ``I fail to understand what prompted the police to prevent a couple of trucks (carrying Ganesha idols) from entering the Madina Masjid route when about 114 trucks had already been allowed to pass'', wondered Patel, who is the minister in charge of Surat.Vijoy's medalAhmedabad: Additional Commissioner of Police Vipul Vijoy who was to receive the Presidential award for meritorious services from Governor Bhandari on Tuesday will now have to wait till he is cleared of charges following his suspension on the Surat firing issue. According to police sources, officers under suspension cannot receive medals till they are cleared in the inquiry. Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya confirmed that Vijoy would not be getting the award till he was reinstated.
