People’s right activist groups, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Anhad (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) have demanded immediate release of Gujarat Jignesh Mevani. Mevani, a first time MLA from Gujarat’s Vadnangar constituency has been arrested from Palanpur Ciruit House, Gujarat by Assam Police just prior to midnight on 20 April 2022
The Dalit leader Mevani was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by Arup Kumar Dey, a BJP executive member of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), at Kokrajhar police station on April 19. It is learnt that the complaint was regarding a tweet from his account. The young leader had urged PM to appeal against the atmosphere of communal hatred prevalent in the nation while telling him a devotee of Godse.
PUCL, in a statement on Saturday, said “In politics it is a routine matter to see exchange of some sarcasm or allegations between leaders. The intent behind the tweet appealing to the Prime Minister to take some steps to ensure peace should actually be appreciated from an MLA like Jignesh Mevani.”
Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) also blamed the Assam and Gujarat police for harassing the arrested MLA’s family and friends. It has condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of Jignesh Mevani. The Human Rights NGO has termed the situation in India as “undeclared Emergency”. It also wondered about the plight of ordinar sitize in the face of the “authoritarian regime”, if he were to muster courage to speak against the government.
“It is important to note that the incidents of communal violence have increased in the country since Modi took political power at the Centre in 2014,” ANHAD activists said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Gujarat police crome branch has confiscated the office computers of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch office in Rakhiyal, Ahmedabad, an organisation with which Mevani is associated. Gujarat Police also visited the homes of Mevani associates Kamlesh Katariya, Jagdish Chavda, Aamrnath and Satish, PA to Mevani, and confiscated the mobile phones. Some other associates of Mevani allege being threatened by police.
The police has taken custody of two more desktops, CPUs from Jignesh Mevani’s MLA quarters. Police also searched Jignesh Mevani’s home in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad and confiscated some files.
