Do you have girl friend? When will you get married?: Gujarat police to Hardik Patel during investigation

By A Representative
The Gujarat police is learnt to be asking strange questions to young pro-quota Patidar leader Hardik Patel, currently in Surat’s Lajpore jail of Gujarat on charges of sedition. Details of the questions asked during the police interrogation suggest, among the questions he was asked included whether he had a girl friend, and when would he get married.
Giving details of the police interrogation, a local Gujarati TV channel has reported, the policeman questioning Patel, who happens to be the topmost leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan (PAA), told him, “Details of your horoscope published in a daily suggest your stars favour you, and you would become the chief minister of Gujarat one day.”
The policeman, belonging to the Gujarat crime branch, advised Patel, “I recommend you to leave the movement for Patidar reservation movement and join a political party in order to pursue your political career.” He even pleaded, “If you become chief minister, do not take a revenge against me, you may like to keep me for your security.”
The channel reports, this came to light in Patel’s affidavit prepared by his lawyer Jashwant Vala, who said, the details of his questioning suggest what type of “stupid questions” were asked to the pro-quota leader.
The policeman asked Patel whether the latter thought he was in for trouble for his utterances (allegedly advising Patel youth to kill a couple of cops), even as telling the leader that he seemed to be “innocent” and an “innocent person should not be punished.”
The policeman also asked him whom did he suspect had lathicharged the youths soon after the five lakh strong pro-quota Patidar rally ended, and that how could the chief minister order the lathicharge as she belongs to the same community as Patel, the youth leader replied, “Maybe it was chief minister. It is not clear who in the government gave the order.”
On a supplementary question whom did he suspend was behind the lathicharge, Patel replied, “May be it was Amit Shah.” Shah, a well-known Narendra Modi protégé, is the BJP president.
In yet another question, Patel was asked which party – BJP or Congress – helped him, Patel replied, “No political leader supported me, though I know most of the leaders, and I talk to them on phone.” Among the leaders he named included Uddhav Thakre, Nitin Gadkari, Keshubhai Patel and Nitish Kumar.
There also a question whether it was true he was offered Rs 1,000 or 1.200 crore for taking back his agitation, to which Patel replied, “We do not have an office, but BJP leaders would come to me with bags full of money.”
Patel has moved the Gujarat High Court seeking bail. His bail application came after the Surat district and sessions court rejected his bail plea on December 10. In the bail application submitted before the Surat court, Hardik claimed that he has been booked under false charges by police, as mere spoken words do not amount to sedition.
Meanwhile, the Patidar leader has admitted before the Supreme Court that some of the controversial statements he made during the quota stir were “stupid” but he never intended to overthrow the elected government of Gujarat through violence. He approached the Apex Court through senior advocate Kapil Sibal of Congress, as the Gujarat High Court has refused to stay sedition charges against him.

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Public money, private profits: Crop insurance scheme as goldmine for corporates

By Vikas Meshram The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.

Nepal votes amid regional rivalry: Why New Delhi is watching closely

By Nava Thakuria* As Nepal holds an early national election on Thursday (5 March 2026), the people of northeast India, along with other regional observers, are watching the proceedings closely. The vote was necessitated after the government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli collapsed in September 2025 following widespread anti-government protests. The election will determine the composition of the 275-member House of Representatives, originally scheduled for 2027, under the stewardship of an interim government led by former Supreme Court justice Sushila Karki.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

Unpaid overtime, broken promises: Indian Oil workers strike in Panipat

By Rosamma Thomas Thousands of workers at the Indian Oil Corporation refinery in Panipat, Haryana, went on strike beginning February 23, 2026. They faced a police lathi charge, and the Central Industrial Security Force fired into the air to control the crowd.

From non-alignment to strategic partnership: India's ideological shift toward Israel

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* India's historical foreign policy maintained a notable duality: offering sanctuary to persecuted Jewish communities dating back centuries, while simultaneously supporting Palestinian self-determination as an expression of its broader anti-colonial foreign policy commitments. The gradual shift in Indian foreign policy under Hindutva-aligned governance — moving toward a strategic partnership with Israel while reducing substantive engagement with the Palestinian cause — raises legitimate questions about ideological motivation and geopolitical consequence.

Search This Blog