Protest against changes in gas service caused panic among residents of Makhachkala

On April 8, mass marches of representatives of Kumyk communities and workers of the subscriber's gas service, who protested against the transfer of the service into subordination to Makhachkala, created huge traffic jams and caused panic moods among the population of the capital of Dagestan, which was not aware of the nature of the actions.

More than a thousand persons blocked the main urban motor roads; they chanted anti-government slogans. There were clashes with motorists and fixed-route taxi drivers. The protesters were burned car tires.

"I came out of my work and saw a crowd of people walking down Yaragskiy Street; there were many young persons; all of them were shouting something unintelligible. I was scared and I called my daughter, who was supposed to come home from school. She said that something similar was happening in Sovietskaya Street," said Raissa, a resident of Makhachkala.

An educator from a local kindergarten told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they received calls from worried parents, "who said that Wahhabites had attacked the city; parents wanted to take their children home."

"I happened to be near the protesters, when they walked past a jewellery store. Cries were heard from the crowd: 'Let's rob jewellery stores and banks.' Fortunately, no one followed the call. Such uncontrollable crowd can do everything; I was scared," said Ahmed.