At the crossroads of a service lane along the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway, a police vehicle is parked next to three television OB vans. A hundred metres away is an SUV, surrounded by a group of youths. They are screening people, confirming identities before allowing access to the SUV. Hardik Patel, 22, steps out of the vehicle, and a crowd collects. Ever since his brief detention Tuesday and the subsequent violence that claimed nine lives — one policeman and eight Patidars — Hardik has been changing locations, in and around Ahmedabad. “We were on a hunger strike. the police came and began to beat us all up, just like General Dyer at Jallianwala Bagh.Who is the General Dyer, that’s not yet known. The day he is found, he will surely be killed, just like General Dyer,” Hardik said. His idols are Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. Asked if he plans to launch a political outfit, he said, “If I have the remote (control) in my hand, why do I need to launch a political party or join politics?” He mentioned “182 channels” — the number of assembly constituencies in Gujarat. Before he became convenor of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), he says he was president of an outfit called the SPG or Sardar Patel Group from 2012 to 2014. Claiming it had 40,000 youth from 17 districts in its ranks, he said the group’s “main objective was protection of society, protection of sisters, daughters and farmers”. He claims to have “saved 6,000 girls” from Viramgam and Mandal talukas in Ahmedabad district and over 1,000 farmers. Asked about Babu Bajrangi or Babubhai Patel, who ran a similar outfit called the Navchetan Trust with the objective of “rescuing Hindu girls from Muslim and Christian youth”, Hardik said, “I don’t know him, but it would have been good if I had known him. We need good people to protect society”. Babu Bajrangi is prime accused in the Naroda Patiya riots case and is a Kadva Patel from Kutch. “The maldharis would graze their cattle on the farmers’ fields. If a farmer challenged a maldhari, he would be attacked. We intervened in these cases,” he said. Asked about his photographs with a gun, he said, “I got a gun licence towards the end of 2014. I roam alone. if we get any call, we go for samaj raksha (protection of the community), it is necessary to keep a gun.” On another photograph with VHP leader Pravin Togadia, he said: “I have no blood relation with him. We believe in protection. For example, you are a girl and you are walking on the road. If someone holds your hand, we know how to cut that hand. Pravin Togadia, as a Hindu hriday samrat, talks of protection and security of Hindu samaj. He has a stand on that, and there is nothing wrong in meeting him.” Asked about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Hardik said: “What is (Arvind) Kejriwal? I have nothing to do with him, I have nothing to do with any politician.” He blames the “police, government and anti-social elements” for the violence that followed his detention on August 25. “What police did was provocative. They beat up women and children. If things will continue like this, violence will continue. The Army is here and we respect them, we believe in Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.” He is not sure of his next move. “We will sit together and decide what to do, how to get this message to every Patidar household.” The Patidar rallies for OBC status and reservation began on July 6 in Mehsana. Hardik said he realised its “potential” on July 24 when a rally at Visnagar in Mehsana turned violent and 152 Patidars were booked for rioting. They had attacked the office of local BJP MLA Rishikesh Patel. “That day I became confident that we could get the numbers for a big rally in Ahmedabad. My only regret is that I expected 35 lakh people, only 22 lakh came.”
