Five Congress workers who were charged with stone-pelting and rioting on 2nd July were denied bail on 11th July by an Ahmedabad city court. The attack followed altercations between Congressmen and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over “anti-Hindu remarks” made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi during a speech in Parliament.
Two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against the accused in Ahmedabad city based on two complaints, one from the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and the other from a policeman.
The authorities apprehended Harsh Ishwarbhai Parmar (23), Vimalbhai Pansara (50), Manish Thakor (47), Sanjay Barot (57) and Mukeshbhai Datania (68) after Karmaraj Bhagvatsinh, constable of Paldi Police Station who had endured injuries in the assault submitted a complaint and an FIR was launched. Karmaraj Bhagvatsinh filed a formal complaint charging that Congress leaders Shehzadkhan Pathan, who holds the position of Leader of Opposition in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Pragatiben Nandaniya, along with “around 200-250 Congress workers” and “a mob of 150-200 BJP persons” were involved in rioting and stone-pelting, among other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
After reviewing the photos and CCTV footage of the event, Sessions Judge Jayeshkumar Ishvarlal Patel noted that it was a “clear case of assault on a public servant” and a “clear case of attack on police machinery” while denying bail to the five defendants. The court further observed that the wounded person received at least eight sutures in his skull. A few “accused may be associated with a party but they cannot be permitted to take law and order into their hands and neither is there such a provision in law,” Sessions Judge Patel added in the judgment.
The Gandhi scion claimed “Hindus are violent” in parliament which led to a massive row in the country. Ahmedabad BJP also organised a protest following a large-scale agitation by Bajrang Dal activists near the Gujarat Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad on 1st July. An altercation transpired between the two sides and Congress workers reportedly started stone-pelting at them when they were 300–400 meters away from the party’s office. They unveiled that some of the BJP workers were taken to LG Hospital, Ahmedabad for medical care after suffering injuries. Acid and alcohol bottles, sticks and stones were thrown at them from the Congress office.
OpIndia had talked to Ahmedabad Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president Vinay Desai following the incident who disclosed, “BJP Yuva Morcha workers staged a protest a short distance from the Congress office with placards, in response to Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu comments. However, our people were attacked. Congress leaders, workers and goons called by them attacked our workers with stones, glass bottles, sticks and sharp weapons when our workers were standing. They came in a crowd, smashed the police-erected barricades and attacked the group wounding several of our workers. Five of them had to be transported to a hospital for treatment due to their critical condition. The cops who were present on the spot were also injured. BJYM workers were demonstrating in a peaceful and democratic manner. We have submitted a complaint against Shaileshbhai Parmar, Shahzad Pathan and others.”
“Workers from the BJP Yuva Morcha had gone to the Congress office to peacefully protest Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that were disparaging to Hindus. All they had with them were placards. However, Congress officials and workers threw stones, liquor bottles and acid bottles at them. Five of our workers were seriously injured in this attack and were immediately admitted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SVP) Hospital for treatment,” revealed Ahmedabad City BJP president Amit Shah.
