mevani: Assam cops arrest Jignesh Mevani from Gujarat; sent to 3-day police custody

Independent Dalit MLA from Vadgam Jignesh Mevani was arrested by the Assam Police late Wednesday night from Banaskantha district following complaints of two tweets ‘against PM Modi’. He was sent to three-day police custody on Thursday. Though the police sought 14-day custody, the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kokrajhar, took Mevani on three-day remand.

An FIR was filed against Mevani in Kokrajhar, Assam by a person named Arup Kumar Dey for two of his tweets, which he posted on April 17, ahead of Modi’s visit to Gujarat. Dey wrote in his complaint that Mevani, in his tweets, mentioned that “Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi worships ‘Godse’ and regards him as God and appealed that the PM visits Gujarat on 20th April. Make an appeal on Yatra. People for peace and harmony in areas like Himmat Nagar, Khambhat and Berawal (sic.) in Gujarat (Sic.) where communal violence (Komi Hadse) took place.”

“The spread of tweets published in Twitter has drawn widespread criticism and tends to disturb public peace in order to maintain harmony among a certain section of people. It is more likely to incite a section of the public belonging to a certain class.” community commits any crime against another community and tends to destroy the social fabric of different communities in this part of the country.”

While Mevani has been taken to Kokrajhar in Assam, his lawyer Anand Yagnik told ET that the Congress legal team has already reached the police station where he is being kept. However, his bail application was rejected. Mevani will challenge this decision in the High Court.

Originally published at Pen 18