The World : India Price Hikes Protested

Hundreds of thousands of people massed in India’s cities to protest food and fuel price increases ordered by the government to finance an ambitious development program. Calls of “Down with Rajiv Gandhi!” rose from the crowds in the first mass challenge to Gandhi since he became prime minister after the assassination of his mother, Indira, in October, 1984. Most of the items involved are essential goods whose supply and distribution the state controls, so higher prices mean more money for the government. Police arrested about 10,000 people in New Delhi alone.