Jignesh Mevani’s arrest comes ahead of the Gujarat elections scheduled for the end of the year
File image of Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani. CNN-News18
Gujarat MLA and Dalit rights activist Jignesh Mevani was arrested by Assam Police late on Wednesday from the Palanpur circuit House in Gujarat. He was taken to Ahmedabad last night and shall be taken to Assam today.
The news of Mevani’s arrest was confirmed by his supporters. They claimed that the police did not have an FIR copy with them while arresting the Congress leader.
The development was also confirmed by news agency ANI which reported citing Kokrajhar SP Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar.
The prominent Dalit leader from Gujarat was arrested soon after a First Information Report (FIR) under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with offences related to promoting enmity between communities, was registered at Kokrajhar police station in Assam, said his aide Suresh Jat.
“As per a document shared by the officials of the Assam police, an FIR has been lodged over a tweet by Mevani few days back. However, the tweet has been withheld by Twitter. It was about Nathuram Godse. Mevani was first brought to Ahmedabad by road and then taken to Assam by air early today morning,” he added.
Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor and other Congress leaders rushed to Ahmedabad Airport after learning about his arrest and shouted slogans against the BJP government.
Meanwhile, his Twitter account shows that some recent tweets by him have been withheld in response to the “legal demand” by the authorities.
The arrest comes ahead of the Gujarat elections scheduled for the end of the year. Congress will face the BJP, which has been in power for the last 27 years, and the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
A Dalit leader, he first emerged along with Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakore as the youth faced challenging the BJP dominance in Gujarat during the 2017 Assembly elections. Mevani is independent MLA from Vadgam seat in Banaskantha. He recently joined Congress.
With inputs from agencies
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