Ahmedabad/Surat

Surat Police on Monday evening took Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti(PAAS) Surat city convener Alpesh Kathiriya and another local PAAS leader Hasmukh Raiya under preventing arrest under CRPS section 151.

City Commissioner Rakesh Asthana told media persons that PAAS leader Dinesh Bambhania(who is right hand man of PAAS founder chief Hardik Patel) had sent message over mobile to Alpesh Kathiriya that Surat unit of PASS should start arson, stone pelting, ransacking public properties and rioting as soon as Hardik Patel is arrested.

Having information about such message, Surat police took Kathiriya and Raiya in preventive arrest.

It should be mentioned that PASS chief Hardik Patel is on run in Arvalli district where he addressed a gathering of around 4,000 Patidars without police permission to hold such meeting. Police maintains that Hardik has not been arrested or detained, but Hardik’s aide Ketan Patel circulated message that Hardik was picked up by police.

In the past, whenever Hardik was detained or arrested, messages were circulated by his aides and others to start agitation programmes across Gujarat to put pressure on government. However today police was quick enough. While two of Hardik’s aides were arrested in Surat, another two including Chirag Patel were arrested in Ahmedabad before they could address a press conference and disturb the atmosphere. Complaint has been filed against another 13 in Ambaliyara police station in Arvalli district where today’s Patidar gathering was held without permission. A crowd of 4,000 that attended the assembly has also been booked.

Aravalli SP Mayur Chavda said that altogether 15 people in connection with the Tainpur incident have been nabbed.

Apart from this at least two of the close associates of Hardik have been arrested in Surat city for alleged rumour mongering regarding the incident under section 151.

’15 people including some of PAAS leaders have been arrested from Aravalli and Ahamedabad. A case under section 188 (defying prohibitory orders) has been lodged in Aambaliyara police station of Aravalli in this connection,’ Mr. Chavada said.

Tuesday’s police actions suggest that lately, police is in firm mood to crush this agitation that has taken lives of 10 persons so far and caused crores of Rupees of loss to public properties. In initial stage of this agitation, government was reluctant to crack down because reaction from Patidar community people was massive across the state, but during last detention of Hardik Patel and others in Surat last week, government noticed that Patidars didn’t protest the arrests as aggressively as in the last week of August. The government therefore today could crack down on Hardik and his aides safely without worrying about any backlash.

According to police, search for Hardik is on, and he will face arrest under section 188. If Hardik’s speech is found provocative, more sections can be added on later stage. It should be noted that during Surat detention, the police had collected mobile phones of Hardik Patel and others and sent them to Forensic Science Laboratory(FSL) to obtain entire record of messages and other content.

– DeshGujarat