Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani to move fresh bail plea tomorrow

Mevani accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of continuously targeting him

Updated on: Apr 27, 2022, 09:39:53 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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GUWAHATI: Gujarat lawmaker Jignesh Mevani is expected to move a fresh bail application on Thursday after a court in Assam’s Barpeta on Tuesday remanded him in five-day police custody in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly misbehaving with a policewoman.

A court in Assam’s Kokrajhar on Tuesday granted Mevani bail in a separate case related to alleged offensive tweets targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was rearrested the same day in the case registered at Barpeta.

“The court of the chief judicial magistrate of Barpeta rejected our bail petition and remanded Mevani in five-day police custody. The police sought 10-day custody. We will be moving bail application before a higher forum maybe on Thursday,” Mevani’s lawyer, Angshuman Bora, said.

The fresh case was registered on April 21 under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 294 (singing, reciting, uttering obscene song, ballad, or words in or near the public place), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) and 354 (assault or criminal force on woman).

Mevani accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of continuously targeting him. “This is a conspiracy,” Mevani, who offered support to Congress last year, told journalists outside the Barpeta court on Tuesday.

The fresh First Information Report (FIR) filed against Mevani accuses him of using “slang words” against the woman sub-inspector of Kokrajhar police station, who was present in the vehicle when the lawmaker was being brought from Guwahati to Kokrajhar.

“When I asked him to behave properly, he got agitated and used more slang words. He pointed a finger towards me and tried to frighten me and pushed me on my seat with force,” the FIR, a copy of which HT has seen, quoted the sub-inspector as saying. “He thus assaulted me during the execution of my legal duty of being a public servant and outraged my modesty by touching me inappropriately while pushing.”

Opposition Congress staged a protest outside the Barpeta court demanding Mevani’s release on Tuesday. Several leaders and party workers were detained.

Congress leader Jakir Hussain Sikdar called Mevani’s arrest a murder of democracy. “BJP is not interested in protecting democracy or freedom of speech of citizens. Mevani’s arrest is politically motivated and we will continue to protest till he is released.”

Mevani, 41, who represents Vadgam in the Gujarat assembly, was arrested from Palanpur in his home state last week and was brought to Guwahati. He was later taken to Kokrajhar, where BJP leader Arup Kumar Dey has filed a case against him for allegedly offensive tweets.

Mevani was sent in three-day police and one-day judicial remand before getting bail in the first case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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