Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old face of the Patidar campaign in Gujarat, has been sentenced to two years in jail after a court found him guilty in a three-year-old rioting case.
Along with Hardik, Sardar Parel Group (SPG) convener Lalji Patel and another Patidar leader Ambalal Patel have also been found guilty and have been sentenced to two years in jail each with a fine of Rs 50,000. The trio has been convicted under 147.148.149 427 and 435.
Hardik Patel was named in the complaint filed in July 2015 when a rally of the Patel community seeking reservation turned violent, resulting in damage to property and assault on some media persons. He and 17 others are accused of being part of a group of around 500 people from the Patel community which vandalised the office of a BJP legislator in the town of Visnagar in Mehsana district, attacked journalists, and rioted on July 23. The incident took place when the Patel agitation demanding job reservation was at its peak.
Ahead of the court verdict, Patel, in a video message posted on his Facebook page, had appealed to his supporters to remain calm in case it goes against him.
Last October, a sessions court in Visnagar had issued an arrest warrant against Hardik Patel and another Patidar leader, Lalji Patel, for not attending the court proceedings.
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