Rumour mills fueled demand for milk in Ahmedabad, as people went on a buying spree in anticipation of a shortage as Maldharis called for a day-long strike against the Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) in Urban Areas Bill, 2022.
While the strike remained peaceful in Ahmedabad, Maldharis vandalised one Amul parlour and three shops in Rajkot for selling milk despite their call to be on strike.
The mob of Maldharis squashed lemon in the jars containing loose milk in one of the dairies in Rajkot.
Amul outlets in Motera area of Ahmedabad remained closed while supply of milk in Gota and Chandkheda was normal.
An owner of Amul milk outlet in Makarba said the milk supply said, “We received the stock of Amul Taaza and Gold but we are unsure about tomorrow. There was a heavy rush of people on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Amul, however, has assured us of a regular supply of milk.”
In Bopal, the stock of Amul milk disappeared quickly out of sheer panic that supply of milk would remain affected for days. Owner of Bopal Amul parlour Pachchabhai said, “We usually order 160 crates of milk. But thanks to panic buying, today we sold 250 crates in just two hours. Many regular customers were disappointed and returned empty-handed. We were forced to ask them to return in the afternoon at 4pm when fresh stock arrives.”
Kishan Mathur, the owner of Amul Parlour at Jodhpur Gam said, “Due to the strike call, people who buy two milk pouches are now buying five due to the fear of scarcity. The milk will not spoil for two days and they are storing it. People normally queue up at 6am but on Wednesday morning they queued up at 5am.”
Rahul Thavre, 25, a resident of Jodhpur and a sales executive, said, “I visited the nearby Amul parlour twice on Wednesday but it was sold out on both the occasions. The shortage is being created by panic-driven over-stocking.”
Maldharis go on rampage in Rajkot
Maldhari mobs attacked and vandalised milk shops in Rajkot. Anish Lakhani, a retail Amul Store owner in Rajkot, said a mob entered his shop around 8.30 am and destroyed 80 one-litre bags of Amul milk.
Rajkot police sub-inspector KC Rana told “Total four shops were vandalised by mobs who tore open milk pouches and squashed lemon in loose milk cans. We have the CCTV footage in which the culprits are visible. We will take action against them.”
Maldharis at Shokhda Chokdi dumped many milk cans in the centre of the square. On the outskirts of Rajkot, a milk tanker was halted, and its tap was opened. Instead of making a show of force, some law-abiding Maldharis distributed milk to patients and children at the Rajkot Civil Hospital.