Correspondent, Ahmedabad

The Crime Branch of Ahmedabad police today produced the three close aides of Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel, arrested under charges of sedition and conspiracy to overthrow a duly elected government (waging war against the government) in a local court here which allowed seven days remand for further interrogation.

The Crime branch had demanded 14 days remand but the metropolitan court after over an hour long hearing allowed seven days remand til 330 pm on October 29.

Following the lodging of a detailed FIR as case number 90/2015 by crime Branch ACP K N Patel here yesterday Dinesh Patel and Chirag Patel were nabbed in a dramatic way while they were coming out of the High Court last evening after a hearing on a petition challenging leveling of sedition charges against Hardik by Surat Police. Interestingly the police action took place barely an hour after the High Court had issued notice with some strong words to the state government on Hardik’s petition demanding quashing of sedition charges against him.

Ketan Patel, one of the total six accused in the FIR, was arrested late last night from Waghai. Hardik, the convener of Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti (PAAS) and main accused in the case, is already in police custody for another case of sedition filed by Surat police while the crime branch was trying to nab the remaining two, Alpesh Kathiria from Surat and Amrish Patel from Ahmedabad.

The Crime Branch ACP Mr. Patel today said that teams to nab the remaining two accused have been formed and have already swung in to action.

The crime branch also conducted a search operation at the Bopal residence of Chirag Patel reportedly on the information that it was one of the main strategic points of the Patel or Patidar stir.

Meanwhile the nabbed trio was produced in the metropolitan court here this evening where the defendant’s advocate and senior congress leader B M Mangukiya vehemently opposed the leveling of sedition charges against the six Patel stir leaders. He also questioned the right of the police to tap the phone calls of the accused Patel leaders. He also claimed that no arms were recovered from the houses of the accused and even went on to say that the police perhaps don’t understand as to what amounts to act of sedition and waging war against the government (section 124 and 121 of the IPC respectively). He also reiterated that police was working in a revengeful mode against the Patel leaders. He also claimed that on the basis of the allegations in the FIR, a case of sedition can’t be framed.

The crime branch on the other hand demanded the 14 day remand of the three accused on over a dozen counts. It also said that the charges were very serious and needed detailed investigation including conducting voice test and other forensic tests. It also stressed the need to identify the other unidentified persons heard in the tapped phone calls and investigate the source of finance behind the agitation. It claimed that the remand was also necessary to get the information to nab the remaining two accused who were still on the run. The information regarding purchase of a large number of sim cards by the accused was also needed to be obtained.

The FIR based on the telephonic conversation (transcript of which has been provided) among the PAAS leaders since August 25, the day when state wide violence which claimed 10 lives and saw the burning of over 200 vehicles, erupted following the brief detention of Hardik and some of his aides after a massive rally in Ahmedabad, alleged that the accused PAAS leaders had burnt and damaged the vehicles and other public properties in a planned manner. They have also instigated the members of the Patel community to wage a war against the duly elected government.

The phone transcript mentioned in the FIR claimed Hardik as saying that he had uprooted more than 100 meter long rail track during the violence while Dinesh planned to block the way of the India and South Africa teams before the 3 rd ODI between the two teams in Rajkot on October 18, the day when Hardik was nabbed by police there for allegedly insulting the tricolor. A day later when he got bail in this case Surat police nabbed him from the court premises in Rajkot in Sedition case. He is on police remand till October 23.

– DeshGujarat