Congress leader’s ‘ultimatum’ to Gujarat CM: ‘Bring people who humiliated Patidar woman to book by 10 am Friday’

Launching the ‘Naari Swabhiman Andolan’, Dhanani, a former leader of Congress Legislature Party, demanded a high-level investigation “directly under the Director General of Police” into the alleged forged letter and into the allegations that a procession of the woman was taken out along with the other accused on the pretext of “reconstructing the crime scene”.

Dhanani had allegedly intercepted a police convoy that was taking the woman for a medical examination after she alleged she was tortured in police custody, on Tuesday.

The woman along with three others were arrested for allegedly forging a letter levelling allegations of corruption on BJP MLA Kaushik Vekariya.

The woman, who worked with a private firm, is the only one among the four accused who was released on bail after protests from within the community and the opposition AAP and Congress over her being allegedly “paraded” in public on December 29. Following her release, the woman alleged in a video statement that she was “thrashed” in police custody after which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to investigate the same.

The woman and three others — BJP Amreli taluka unit youth leader Manish Vaghasia, Jaswantgarh village sarpanch Ashok Mangrolia and an associate Jitu Khatra — are accused of allegedly forging a letter levelling allegations of corruption on Vekariya in the name of taluka panchayat chairman Kishore Kanpariya.

Following protests from Patidar leaders, including those from the influential Shree Khodaldham Trust, the Amreli district police had filed an application before the local court of the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) seeking that the woman be discharged from the case. However, the plea was rejected. Later, the sessions court granted her bail while refusing the same to the other three accused.