Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gujarat’s Patidar community leader Hardik Patel were on Tuesday arrested by police while they were heading to Mandsaur to meet family members of those killed in police firing during a farmers’ agitation on June 6.
Hardik led a violent movement in Gujarat last year over a demand for quotas for Patidars.
Mandsaur has become the epicentre of a farmers’ agitation over a demand for loan waivers and better prices for their produce. During the agitation, six farmers were gunned down by the police, thereby drawing criticism from political parties. The situation forced the district officials to impose Section 144, and restricted prominent personalities from visiting the violence-hit district.
A number of political leaders, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and social activists tried to visit Mandsaur but the police didn’t let them enter the area.
The curfew has been lifted from Mandsaur, but prohibitory orders remain.
later in the day, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was on Tuesday arrested and then released on personal bond. He was arrested under Section 151 of the CrPC. Scindia, along with his supporters, were stopped from entering Mandsaur at Dhodar while en route to meet the kin of farmers’ killed in police firing during an agitation.
Section 151 in The Indian Penal Code (IPC) refers to a situation wherein a person or persons knowingly join or continue in assembly of five or more persons after being commanded to disperse.
Whoever knowingly joins or continues in any assembly of five or more persons likely to cause a disturbance of the public peace, after such assembly has been lawfully commanded to disperse, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
If the Assembly is an unlawful assembly within the meaning of section 141, the offender will be punishable under section 145.
Speaking to the reporters, Scindia said, “144 laga hai to maine police ko kaha hai mai akele jaunga. Kaun rok sakta hai agar ek insaan akele jana chahta haiIJ (I have told the police that if I am charged with 144 then I will go alone. Who can stop if a person wants to go aloneIJ).”