Mevani detained, Gujarat bandh turns violent

Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, February 18

Violence broke out in various parts of Gujarat today after Dalit leader and Independent member of the state Assembly Jignesh Mevani and others were detained in the wake of the “Ahmedabad – Gandhinagar bandh” call to protest the death of Dalit Adkhikar Sangh activist Bhanuprasad Vankar. The latter immolated himself, demanding re-allocation of land to Dalit families.

Mevani reportedly used derogatory language for the police. His detention fuelled another round of violence with Dalit protesters blocking traffic, disrupting state transport buses and setting vehicles afire. The family members of the deceased Dalit leader, who had refused to accept the body for the last rites till the government conceded their demands, including action against the “callous officials” responsible for Vankar’s death, today put forth another condition — Mevani and his aides’ release.

Mevani was detained soon after the Dalit activists gathered near the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar here. Subsequently, thousands of Dalit activists poured out on the roads. The police said 78 members of the Bhim Shanti Sena were detained in Ahmedabad and 100 others in other parts of the state. Ahmedabad Joint Police Commissioner K Bhatt said the police would submit a detailed report along with documentary evidence to the Speaker on Mevani’s detention. The MLA’s supporters alleged the police misbehaved with Dalits, smashed Mevani’s car and manhandled the driver.

With the Budget session opening tomorrow, the Dalit agitation coupled with the acute shortage of irrigation water is bound to make it a stormy one. An unnerved Vijay Rupani government has by and large conceded all major demands of the agitating Dalits, including land re-allocation, a judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading to Vankar’s death and compensation to the aggrieved family.