Ink thrown on Surat textile association president for not announcing Ram Navmi holiday

Surat : Manoj Agarwal, president of the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), received a shower with ink by textile traders affiliated with Hindu organisations in Surat after he refused their demand to declare holiday in the textiles markets on Ram Navmi festival. (birth of Lord Rama).

A group of about 300 merchants affiliated with Hindu groups like VIPRA stormed into the office of FOSTTA president Manoj Agarwal on Ram Navmi, yelling for a holiday in the textile markets. While Agarwal was discussing the matter with the board members, one of the Hindu organisation’s members threw black ink over Agarwal’s face as a sign of protest.

According to our sources, each year FOSTTA decides when the Surat textile market will be closed for the holidays. The FOSTTA did not include the Ram Navmi celebration or market closures this year.

After the Hindu organisations were made aware of the situation, they held a demonstration outside of the textile market to call for a holiday on Ram Navmi.

FOSTTA spokesman Rangnath Sarda said, “A total of 300 people from VPR Sena and other Hindu organisations demanded the closure of the market on the day of Ram Navami at the Fosta office.”  Our organization, however, sets the annual dates for our holidays.  Suitable time off is granted.  It’s not like a holiday was just declared like that.  Many people could lose out if a holiday were declared in such a short notice.  But it’s been presented in a very harsh way, and our president’s face has been smeared with black ink. For the record, we find this behaviour to be totally unacceptable.