Gujarat police detained Dalit activist and Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani while he was on his way to a protest rally over the death of Dalit activist Bhanubhai Vankar, who had immolated himself on Thursday.
Mevani has alleged the police pulled him out of his car, broke his car keys and detained him on way to a protest at Ambedkar statue in Sarangpur, Ahmedabad.
"Jignesh Mevani was pulled out of the car in a very uncivilised manner , his car keys were broken and detained by the police while on the way to a peaceful protest at Ambedkar statue in Sarangpur, Ahmedabad. The protest was organised to meet the demands of deceased Bhanuji family," read a tweet on Mevani's official handle.
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The Gujarat police have confirmed detaining the Vadgam MLA for maintaining 'law and order in the city.'
Mevani had earlier called for Ahmedabad bandh over the death of Vankar, who was part of Mevani's Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch.
He was fighting for Hemaben Vankar, a landless Dalit farm labourer, who had alleged that authorities were not allotting a plot of land to her family despite collecting Rs 22,236 in 2013.
In a memorandum submitted to the Collector a week ago, Hemaben, along with Vankar, had threatened self-immolation.
Despite deployment of police outside the Patan Collectors office, Mehsana-resident Vankar managed to set himself ablaze.
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The Gujarat government on Thursday accepted the demands of family members of Vankar who had refused to accept his body after it was brought for post-mortem to the Gandhinagar civil hospital. The family had been demanding the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter and re-granting of land which had been allotted to Dalits across the state but whose ownership titles had not been regularised.
(Agency inputs)
