The Surat diamond sector is virtually closed today with workers instead attending a rally in Ahmedabad to demand better education and jobs for members of the Patidar (a caste found primarily in Gujarat) community.
According to the Times of India (TOI) More than 300,000 workers downed tools to participate in the event.
The newspaper reported that Patidar leaders had arranged for more than 500 buses, 150 mini-buses and over 4,000 private cars to ferry people from Surat to Ahmedabad.
“It is a voluntary decision of the people in the diamond industry to keep their units and offices closed on August 25. They are going to Ahmedabad to attend the rally,” said Surat Diamond Association president Dinesh Navadia, as reported by the TOI.
