Ahmedabad:  ‘Fast unto death’ is very tricky term. Many have been on such fasts for number of times. What happens is, mostly it turns out to be ‘fast unto food’ or ‘fast unto compromise’ , ‘fast unto media focus fades’ or ‘fast unto hospitalization’.

Congress aide agitation leader Hardik Patel is sitting on fast. His aides repeatedly describe his fast as ‘Ann(grain) tyag’. However they have claimed that today evening he has also stopped taking water.

Year 2016 ‘fast-unto-death’ by Hardik

Public memory is short, and therefore it is almost forgotten now   that  Hardik Patel had been on ‘fast unto death’ earlier also. In February 2016 too.

Hardik was then lodged in Lajpore jail of  Surat since October 2015 under sedition and other charges. Outside the jail, in his absence, his agitation was fading. His release from jail was not in sight. As an attempt to rebuild the momentum, and ensure his release he attempted fast as a weapon.

In a letter to authority, he had sought permission to go on ‘fast unto death’ in jail from 20th February 2016 demanding withdrawal of cases against him and others involved in quota agitation related violence. While reply to his letter from government was pending, Hardik told jail officials that he had started ‘fast unto death’ on February 18th.

As per the jail manual, several penalty actions were taken against Hardik as such fast was not permitted. A wall clock from Hardik’s cell was removed, his tiffin service, newspaper supply, TV viewing facility were suspended and meetings with lawyer, other prisoners and relatives were also disallowed.

Hardik’s fast  triggered some violence in Simada area of Surat on Thursday midnight where over 40 rioters on bikes damaged and torched two Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses.

It’s worth noting that just a day ago, the Government of Gujarat had formed a committee led by Jayram Patel to hold dialogue with Hardik Patel.  In fact, parents of three associates of Hardik Patel had submitted a letter to then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel expressing their willingness for a compromise on the issue. The letter that lists a couple of names of Patel quota stir leaders was signed by three closest aides of Hardik – Dinesh, Chirag and Ketan. It said they would abide by any decision reached between the government and the community panel headed by Jairam Patel. Though the letter carried the name of Hardik Patel, it did not bear his signature.

On the first day(Thursday) of fast, Hardik reportedly stopped taking food but took liquid.

Next day(Friday) he stopped taking water too. He was kept in a separate room in jail based hospital. On the same night(Friday) he was taken to Surat Civil hospital for medical checkup. He was admitted to hospital at 9.50 pm, reportedly due to low blood pressure and sugar Hardik had complained about reduced urine and weakness. He was referred to medicine department of Civil hospital by Dr. Jagani.

The doctors found that proportion of acetone in urine had increased. He was given intake of glucose. With doctors’ advise, he started taking water and later fruit juice. While initially the proportion of acetone was 3+ , the report in the afternoon confirmed it was reduced to 1+. After consuming water and glucose intake, he had fruit juice at 8 pm. His blood pressure was being checked on hourly basis. Blood and urine reports were obtained every six hours. It was decided that he would continue to stay in hospital till the level of acetone comes down to negative.

As acetone proportion turned negative and as he had started consuming water and fruit juice, he was sent back to Lajpore jail on Sunday, February 21 morning. With permission of district court, his lawyer went to Lajpore jail to meet Hardik Patel. His lawyer said Hardik had gas problem and weakness but he was firm to continue fast.

Hardik was during the week taken to Visnagar for court date. He told media persons that he was continuing his fast in jail. On Thursday Hardik’s mother-father went to jail to offer him a tiffin but as it was not permitted in jail manual they were disallowed. Hardik said he was ready to break his fast on mother’s insistence. Hardik was asked to submit an application for restoration of home-made food supply. After Hardik’s application home made food was supplied from Saturday onwards.

Summary:

-Thursday: He went on fast and stopped consuming food and liquid

-Friday: He was admitted to Surat new civil hospital late in the evening

-Saturday: He started taking water and in the evening started taking juice

-Sunday: His blood and urine reports were found normal and he was taken back to jail in the morning where he sought fruit and fruit juice

-Thursday: His father-mother went to jail to offer him a tiffin but it was not allowed as per jail manual and therefore permission was denied. Hardik said he would stop fasting if his mother offers him food. He was told by jail administration to make application for home-made food supply. Following his application, he was permitted for home food from Saturday onward.

-Saturday: BJP MP and Patidar community leader Vitthal Radadia told media persons that Hardik had started taking food and stopped his fast by taking home made food brought by his cousin brother Ravi in tiffin.

It must be noted that the committee appointed by State government had held several talks with Hardik inside the jail, even during his fasts. Hardik was also once taken to Visnagar court in connection with a case when he was on fast.

Mukesh Patel one of mediator who had met Hardik in jail later revealed:

“When I met him inside Lajpor jail in Surat, Hardik one-day told me that he had declared to go on fast but he was fed up of hunger.”

“What happens is, tiffins for prisoners come to jail by particular prisoner’s name. If tiffin on his name would come to jail, media and people would come to know that he actually consumed food during fast. So he told me that I should manage to do some ‘setting’ and bring tiffin on someone else’s name,” Mukesh Patel said narrating his interaction with Hardik inside the prison.

“I was shocked. I replied him that some people were on fast for him for last 25 days and he was telling me to do this? Is this your mentality? His is 100% psychic.”

“I did all hard work for him. He continued to maintain that we were good as mediators. When we went to meet Vijaybhai Rupani as Chief Minister, Hardik circulated video defaming us by using offending remarks,” Mukeshbhai said.

Another Patidar leader and mediator Mahesh Savani said:

Another Patidar community bigwig from Surat Shri Maheshbhai Savani who was instrumental in managing bail for Hardik said, “we felt that he is son of our community. We went to Gandhinagar 35-40 times. We made representation before the government. It was not a matter that was in Government’s hand. It was a court matter. We managed to soften the government stand, and then he got bail. He has not even once called us after release. He was as it is.We have evidences how much money he collected from who! He doesn’t want to make compromise. Anandiben told him to come with five persons. He said no he would come with 500. He claims he is neither in BJP nor in Congress, AAP. From where are you then? I think you are not even from Patel community. You are misleading Patels wrongly.”

Main mediator Vitthal Radadia later on Hardik:

BJP MP Vitthal Radadiya who had called on Hardik Patel thrice in Lajpore jail and also held talks with the government in order to resolve the issue in May 2016 termed Hardik Patel as “mentally unstable” and said he was trying to project himself as a “hero” of the Patel community from jail.

The remarks by Radadiya, who once worked as a mediator between Patel quota agitators and Gujarat government, came a day after Hardik virtually termed him a “traitor” of Patel community, saying Patidars did not need the Porbandar MP anymore.

DeshGujarat