Drama continues in Gujarat over “missing” 22-year-old convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Hardik Patel. After the Gujarat High Court’s notice to the State Government at 2.30 am on Wednesday to produce him in the court by Thursday, the pro-quota leader surfaced on a Gujarati TV channel and claimed he was abducted at gunpoint.
The court issued notice to the Gujarat Government, Director General of Police, Inspector General, and Arvali district SP after Hardik’s close aide Dinesh Patel moved a habeas corpus petition alleging that PAAS convener had been illegally detained by the police.
In what can be called a rare move, a Division Bench of Justice MR Shah and Justice KJ Thaker at 1.20 am heard the petition that sought HC’s intervention to produce Hardik. The petitioner also accused the police of keeping 20 other agitators under illegal custody.
Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested an activist of PAAS for using abusive language against Prime Minster Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. After making a video clip, the accused Nilesh Eradia made it viral on social media.
Reacting to the petition, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Rajnikant Patel said that the claim of the PAAS supporter was baseless. “In fact they (police) are in the process of arresting him,” said the Minister.
Meanwhile, Hardik on Wednesday afternoon said that some unidentified persons locked him inside a vehicle and threatened him with life throughout the night before setting him free on the highway near Halwad town in Saurashtra region.
Appearing on a Gujarati TV channel, Hardik claimed that his captors kept him awake by constantly threatening him with “dire” consequences if he did not call off his pro-quota agitation. He also accused the State Government of making efforts to break the ongoing Patidar agitation for reservation in Government jobs and educational institutions.
As per police record, the PAAS convener was missing till the evening of Wednesday as Gandhinagar range IGP Hasmukh Patel said that the police was yet to locate Hardik’s whereabouts in order to produce him before the court.
The police started proceedings against him under section 188 of the IPC on Tuesday evening after Hardik organised a public meeting at Tenpur in Aravali district without necessary permission from authority. In fact, the police was set to arrest him after his speech, but somehow he managed to flee from the venue.
later on, the police registered an FIR against him and 20 others for violating prohibitory orders. The police could not nab Hardik, but they nabbed his close aides Chirag Patel, Atul Patel and 17 others. They were released on bail on Wednesday.
In the last week of August, Hardik was briefly detained after Maha Kranti rally in Ahmedabad, which led to violence in many parts of Gujarat. Hardik was arrested last Saturday from Surat, after he attempted to hold a protest rally in Surat for which he did not have permission.