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Five persons were arrested and two FIRs lodged in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, hours after workers of the BJP and Congress hurled stones at each other outside the Opposition party’s state headquarters Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan during a protest against alleged anti-Hindu remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.
The five accused have been remanded to three-day police custody, said Ahmedabad City Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Shivam Verma on Wednesday.
Both the FIRs were lodged at Ellisbridge police station in Ahmedabad on July 2.
One FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by constable Karmaraj Bhagvatsinh of Paldi police station — who had suffered injuries in the clash — against Congress leaders Shehzadkhan Pathan (leader of Opposition in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation) and Pragatiben Nandaniya as well as “around 200-250 Congress workers” and “a mob of 150-200 BJP persons”.
The other FIR was lodged based on the complaint filed by BJP’s Yuva Morcha wing chief in Ahmedabad city, Vinay Desai, naming 26 Congress workers, including Pathan.
Those arrested – Harsh Ishwarbhai Parmar (23), Vimalbhai Pansara (50), Manish Thakor (47), Sanjay Barot (57) and Mukeshbhai Datania (68) – have been named as accused in the FIR lodged on the basis of Desai’s complaint.
The FIR lodged based on Bhagvatsinh’s complaint booked the accused under sections 189 (2) (unlawful assembly), 191 (2) (rioting), 191 (3) (rioting with deadly weapon), 190 (unlawful assembly with common object), 125 (b) (grievous hurt), 121 (2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 121 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to Bhagvatsinh’s complaint, the police had arranged for bandobast “as BJP’s Ahmedabad city Yuva Morcha planned to protest without permission”. He alleged that while workers from both parties were sloganeering, “suddenly, Congress workers and their leaders instigated the people of BJP and started stone-pelting”, following which BJP workers too pelted stones in retaliation.
“Five police personnel, including an ACP, were injured in yesterday’s incident. We have registered two FIRs… Five persons have been arrested. CCTV videos revealed that they were involved in the violence,” said Verma.
On Monday night, VHP and Bajrang Dal workers vandalised the Congress headquarter that was locked, and defaced Gandhi’s posters with black ink. Verma told The Indian Express that while no FIR has been filed so far into the incident, “the police are taking action”.
Meanwhile, hitting out at BJP, in a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “The cowardly and violent attack on the Gujarat Congress office further strengthens my point about the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. The BJP people who spread violence and hatred do not understand the basic principles of Hinduism.”
“The people of Gujarat can clearly see through their lies and will teach the BJP government a decisive lesson. I am saying it again — INDIA is going to win in Gujarat!” he added.
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