Is it against the law in Gujarat to lift problems with Dalits: Congress on Jignesh Mevani’s conviction

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday hit out on the ruling BJP over Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani being convicted by a magisterial courtroom in case of holding a protest march with out police permission, saying the “arrogant rulers” ought to know, “we will neither bow down nor get scared”.

Slamming Mevani’s conviction and the three-month imprisonment sentence, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala requested whether or not it has turn into against the law in Gujarat and India to lift problems with Dalits, struggle for his or her rights and take out a march for justice for his or her land which has been illegally occupied.

“Is it a crime to demand that the land of Dalits that has been illegally occupied for decades by some people, be returned to them. It seems this has become a crime in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji’s Gujarat because this cannot be a crime in Bapu’s (Mahatma Gandhi’s) Gujarat, it cannot be a crime in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Gujarat because Gujarat is the land of justice and on that land of justice Jignesh Mewani is being sent to jail because he took out protest march as the land of Dalits was being occupied,” Surjewala stated.

“The arrogant rulers should know, we will neither bow down nor get scared. If it is a crime to become the voice of Dalits and demand justice for them, then all of us, along with Jignesh Mewani, will commit this crime repeatedly,” he stated.

A magisterial courtroom in Mehsana city of Gujarat convicted Mevani and 9 others within the five-year-old case of holding a protest march with out police permission, and sentenced them to a few months of imprisonment.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate J A Parmar held Dalit chief Mevani and 9 others, together with NCP chief Reshma Patel, responsible of being a part of an illegal meeting below part 143 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The courtroom additionally slapped a tremendous of Rs 1,000 on every of the ten convicts, who embrace members of Mevani’s Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch.

After delivering the decision, the courtroom accepted Mevani’s plea for a keep on the order and granted bail to all of the convicts until they file an enchantment within the increased courtroom towards this judgement.

The Independent legislator from Vadgam who has pledged his help to the Congress was picked up by the Assam Police from Gujarat on April 19 and brought to the northeastern state after a purported tweet that Modi “considered Godse as God”.

After being launched on bail within the case, the Dalit chief was rearrested on fees of assaulting a policewoman.

A courtroom in Barpeta granted him bail within the case and urged the Gauhati High Court to contemplate directing the Assam Police to reform itself to “prevent registration of false FIR like the present case…”