Mevani’s arrest came after BJP MLA from Assam’s Kokrajhar, Arup Kumar Dey, filed a complaint.
New Delhi: Dalit leader and an MLA in Gujarat, Jignesh Mevani, was arrested by the Assam Police late on Wednesday night from a circuit house in Palanpur over his now-deleted tweets on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mevani, who was first taken to Ahmedabad, was flown to Assam on Thursday morning.
Mevani’s arrest came after BJP MLA from Assam’s Kokrajhar, Arup Kumar Dey, filed a complaint. “Kokrajhar police arrested Congress Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani from Palanpur Circuit House last night,” Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Congress posted a video on Twitter in which Mevani while being escorted by the police tells the media, “I have not been informed about the case, where it’s been filed. I have not been shown any papers related to the case.”
“As per a document shared by the officials of the Assam police, an FIR has been lodged over a tweet by Mevani a few days back. However, the tweet has been withheld by Twitter. It was about Nathuram Godse. Mevani was first brought to Ahmedabad by road and then taken to Assam by air early today (Thursday) morning,” Mevani’s aide Suresh Jat reportedly told PTI.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar tweeted a couple of photographs on Twitter and said, “Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani arrested by Assam police from Palanpur circuit House. Police yet to share the copy of the FIR with us, we have been informed about some case filed against him in Assam and is likely to be deported to Assam tonight.”
Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal also took to Twitter and said, “The unlawful & unconstitutional arrest of Jignesh Mevani at midnight by Assam Police is the latest proof of authoritarianism under BJP. Such an arrest of a people’s representative not only betrays their fear of criticism but also attacks the foundations of our democracy.”
