Politics

Dalit activist’s suicide triggers protest in Gujarat; MLA Jignesh Mewani detained

Jignesh Mewani also shared a video on his official Twitter handle saying the Gujarat Police “abducted” him.

The Dalit activist suicide row took an ugly turn on Sunday when the Dalit activist turned politician Jignesh Mewani was detained by the police on his way to the protest.
Bhanubhai Vankar- a Dalit activist from Gujarat set himself ablaze outside collector’s office on Thursday following state government’s alleged ignorance towards the Dalit issues. Vankar was fighting for two Dalit farmers to get them allotted land by the state government Patan district’s Dudhka village. The retired 61-year-old activist was working with Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch led by Jignesh Mewani.
Jignesh Mewani, who had called for a protest following Vankar’s self-immolation was however apprehended by the police. Jignesh Mewani also shared a video on his official Twitter handle saying the Gujarat Police “abducted” him. His team tweeted, “Jignesh Mewani has been abducted by unidentified persons who broke his car keys and took him to an unknown place.”

However, the Joint Commissioner of Gujarat Police (Crime) J K Bhatt said that the police detained Mewani as he did not cooperate with them. He said, “Other Dalit leaders assured peace during the protest. However, we didn’t receive any such assurance from Mewani.”

As the news of Jignesh Mewani being detained by the police spread, a mob of unidentified person started gathering on streets and created a ruckus. A car was set ablaze in Vadaj area of the city, police said. Some protesters also tried to block roads in Patan, Gandhinagar and in Unjha town of Mehsana district.
Following the protests, Gujarat government accepted eight demands by the Dalit activists and also assured a government job to the family member of Vankar.
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