Complaint Registered against Congress MLA Jignesh

Gandhinagar: An FIR has been registered against Congress MLA Jignesh at Pethapur Police Station in Gandhinagar over alleged disruption of police work, inflammatory statements and the circulation of allegedly misleading content on social media during the campaign for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred on October 9, when police were recording Jignesh’s statement in connection with a complaint received against a Congress candidate contesting the municipal election. Jignesh allegedly arrived at the police station with his supporters, disrupted the proceedings and used objectionable language while making statements that, according to the complainant, could disturb public order and create social tensions.

The complaint further alleges that the statements were made without factual basis and subsequently amplified through Jignesh’s social media accounts, including Instagram and Facebook, with the intention of misleading the public and provoking hostility between communities.

The FIR was registered on October 11, 2026, on the basis of a complaint by a police inspector posted at Pethapur Police Station. The complaint refers to alleged obstruction of official duties, criminal intimidation, intentional insult and the dissemination of statements purportedly capable of disturbing public peace.

Sections invoked in the FIR

The FIR invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including:

• Section 189(2): Punishment relating to unlawful assembly.
• Section 190: Liability of members of an unlawful assembly for offences committed in pursuit of its common object.
• Section 191(2): Punishment for rioting.
• Section 221: Obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions.
• Section 351(2): Punishment for criminal intimidation.
• Section 352: Intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.
• Section 353(1)(b): Statements conducing to public mischief, including certain false information intended to cause fear or alarm among the public.
• Section 353(1)(c): Statements intended to incite a class or community to commit offences against another class or community.
• Section 353(2): Promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between groups on specified grounds.

These are allegations cited in the FIR and do not, by themselves, establish that the offences have been committed.

What the complaint alleges

According to the complaint, the episode took place while election campaigning was underway in Gandhinagar. Police had received a complaint against a Congress candidate and were recording Mevani’s statement in connection with the matter when he allegedly arrived at Pethapur Police Station accompanied by supporters.

The complainant alleges that the gathering interfered with the police’s official work. It further alleges that objectionable statements were made outside the station and that the episode was recorded and circulated on social media.

The complaint also refers to posts and videos uploaded on the official social media accounts associated with Jignesh. It identifies links to Instagram reels and Facebook posts that the complainant says contain the statements in question.

The police complaint alleges that the statements and their circulation could generate hostility between communities, disturb public peace and interfere with the conduct of the election process. These assertions form part of the complainant’s account and would be subject to investigation.

Background to the incident

The complaint places the incident in the context of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation’s general election, scheduled for October 11, 2026. It states that candidates and their supporters were campaigning in different wards and that the police were responsible for maintaining law and order during the election period.

According to the complaint, a Congress candidate and his supporters were campaigning in the ward concerned when the complainant alleged that the candidate’s supporters had been threatened and prevented from campaigning freely. The matter was brought to the attention of Pethapur Police Station, where the police began recording statements.

The complaint alleges that Jignesh subsequently arrived at the police station with supporters and that the ensuing episode disrupted police proceedings. It also alleges that videos of the incident were circulated online and that the statements made during the episode could inflame tensions.

The FIR records the allegations and directs that the case be investigated by the designated investigating officer.

Investigation underway

The FIR records the registration of a criminal case and the assignment of the investigation to a police officer. The allegations concerning obstruction of police duties, intimidation, public mischief and the promotion of enmity will be examined as part of the investigation.

The registration of the FIR marks the initiation of criminal proceedings. The allegations against Mevani remain subject to investigation and any subsequent judicial process.

No response from Mevani or the Congress party to the FIR was available in the material reviewed for this report.