It was a double whammy for the convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PASS) Hardik Patel on Thursday as a case was filed against him by police for illegally keeping cell phone charger and battery in jail as well as the cops filed a charge-sheet against related to rioting and assault in North Gujarat town Visnagar.
Besides, he allegedly tried to hand it over along with a letter to an unknown person while being taken out for court proceedings from jail to Visnagar, said the police.
Hardik is in lajpore jail of Surat in connection with a sedition charge since October last year. When the Patidar leader was being taken to Visnagar town on Tuesday for court hearing from Surat jail, he tried to hand over a packet to an unknown person.
“The jail guards accompanying him seized the packet which contained a mobile phone battery, a charger and a letter to the media. The matter was being investigated. The unknown person to whom the packet was being given somehow fled,” said the police, adding that few days back two mobile phones were also found near his ward in lajpore Jail.
Meanwhile, police have filed a charge-sheet against Hardik in a case of rioting and assault against him and 16 others at Visnagar town of North Gujarat in July last year. The police said that the charge-sheet was submitted before a judicial magistrate JA Rana in Visnagar in the presence of Hardik who was taken there from lajpore jail.
They are accused of being part of a group of around 500 people from the Patidar community, which allegedly vandalised the office of BJP MlA Rishikesh Patel in the town, attacked journalists, and went berserk on the streets on July 23, 2015 when the quota agitation was at its peak.
Police have charged him under sections 337 (causing hurt by endangering life or personal safety), 394 (causing hurt while committing robbery), 427 (causing damage to property) and 435 (using fire or explosives to cause damage) of Indian Penal Code and also under Gujarat Police Act against him and others.