 "Patidar community's 'jail bharo andolan' rally turns violent, leader injured")
A Patidar community rally in Mehsana, held as part of a resurgent agitation called 'jail bharo andolan' in several cities, turned violent with police resorting to lathi charge.
As a result, one of the community leaders Lalji Patel was injured during the agitation in Mehsana. The 'jail bharo andolan' has been launched by the Patidar community for demanding release of the 22-year-old leader Hardik Patel who has been jailed on a sedition charge.
Organised by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the community launched the ‘jail bharo andolan’ in cities like Surat, Mehsana, Jamnagar and parts of Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad, with protesters demanding the Gujarat Police to lock them behind the bars, till Hardik is not released. However, the rally in Mehsana turned violent with police resorting to excess.
The community agitators were also reportedly raising anti-establishment slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state Government of Gujarat.
Leading the rally in Mehsana, Patidar community leader Lalji Bhai Patel had been condemning "double standards" of BJP, alleging that the ruling party had been accepting demands of reservation of Jats in Haryana, but declining the same in Gujarat for the Patel community.
Booked under section 124-A (sedition) of IPC by the Gujarat Police, Hardik Patel has been in jail since last few months.
While the Patidar community has been demanding a reservation of 10 per cent in education institutions and governmental jobs, the state government has cited a 49 per cent reservation cap imposed by Supreme Court, for declining the demand.