The Gujarat Congress began a 14-day foot march, known as the Nyay Yatra, on Friday, aimed at demanding justice for victims of four major tragedies that occurred in the BJP-ruled state over the past five years. The party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of protecting the actual perpetrators of these incidents, including the recent fire at a game zone in Rajkot.
The Congress Legislative Party leader in the assembly, Amit Chavda, along with Seva Dal president Lalji Desai and MLA Jignesh Mevani, launched the Nyay Yatra campaign. According to party spokesperson Manish Doshi, the march will span approximately 350 kilometers and is scheduled to conclude in Gandhinagar on August 23.
Family members of the victims from the 2019 Takshashila fire incident in Surat, the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse, this year's Vadodara boat capsizing, and the TRP game zone fire in Rajkot will participate in the Nyay Yatra, Doshi added.
"We are taking out this Nyay Yatra because people do not trust ongoing investigations. Victims of Morbi bridge collapse demand that the probe be conducted by the CBI, or some non-corrupt officers. We will get justice the day all the real culprits, be it IAS, IPS officers, businessmen or BJP leaders, are behind bars," said the MLA who is the working president of Gujarat Congress.
On October 30, 2022, a British-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 135 people. The bridge was maintained by the Oreva Group, and its CMD, Jaysukh Patel, was granted bail in March this year. In January 2024, 12 school students and two teachers lost their lives when a boat capsized in Motnath lake in Vadodara; the partners of Kotia Projects, responsible for maintaining and operating the lakefront, were arrested. On May 25, 2024, a massive fire at a game zone in Rajkot claimed the lives of 27 people, including four children.