Kokrajhar: A woman police constable has accused Gujarat’s independent MLA of the team that brought him from Guwahati airport to Kokrajhar for molesting and assaulting her. Police sources have said that the constable alleged that when they were crossing Assam’s Barpeta district, she was assaulted verbally by Mevani. The sources said that he made rude gestures and pushed her against the car seat.
On April 21, case was filed at Barpeta road police station. Mevani has been accused under laws dealing with obscene acts or words in public, voluntarily causing hurt, using criminal force to deter public servants from discharge of his duty and outraging of modesty.
Two new FIRs were registered against Jignesh Mevani at two different police stations in Assam. One FIR was registered in Barpeta and the other in Goalpara. He was reportedly taken to the Barpeta police station from Kokrajhar jail amid tight security.
Speaking with India Today, Mevani’s lawyer Angshuman Bora said, “It’s very sad to know that police have arrived in Kokrajhar to re-arrest Jignesh Mevani in connection with a case filed against him in two more districts – Barpeta and Goalpara. We have heard that two fresh FIRs have been filed against him. We knew from before that this would happen and we are prepared for it.”
Mevani was arrested by an Assam police squad on Thursday in Gujarat’s Palanpur after a local BJP leader in Assam’s Kokrajhar lodged a complaint against him. Mevani, an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Modi, has described his detention as “vendetta politics by the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office).”
“It is a conspiracy by the BJP and the RSS. They did this to tarnish my image. They have been doing this systematically. They did it to Rohit Vemula, they did it to Chandrasekhar Azad, now they are targeting me,” Mevani told reporters today. The 41-year-old has been charged with criminal conspiracy, trespassing near a place of worship, inciting religious fervour, and provocation that could lead to a breach of peace.
Under the non-bailable sections of Indian Penal Court, Assam Police has registered a case against Mevani.
The independent legislator was seen leaving the court in ‘Pushpa’ style, indicating with a gesture that he would never bow down or be cowed down.
His arrest came ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections scheduled to be held by the end of the year.
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