Top Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani "picked up" from Ahmedabad airport ahead of Modi's birthday bash

By A Representative
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gandhinagar on Friday, the Gujarat capital, for “celebrating” his birthday, which falls on September 17, top Gujarat Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani, who spearheaded protests following the gruesome Una flogging incident of July 11, was "picked up" by the Gujarat police.
Mevani's cousin, Viral Mevani, is said to have seen Jignesh being picked up as he came out of the Ahmedabad airport. In a social media appearance, which has gone rival, he says, he “saw” Jignesh being taken away by the police, but with clue where.
According to sources, Mevani was taken to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch office at the Gaekwad Haveli. The cops told Mevani's supporters that he would set free "after taking his statement".
Jignesh Mevani returned from Delhi after attending the Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh rally, which was addressed, among others, by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar, founder of the Indian constitution, and several Left leaders, including CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
At the rally, Mevani gave a call to Dalits to organize rail roko and mass chain pulling programme across the country, starting from the former constituency of Modi as Gujarat chief minister, Maninagar in Ahmedabad. The programme has been proposed for October 1, a day before the Gandhi Jayanti day.
Meanwhile, Mevani has declared, there would be a series of other mass meetings across Gujarat ahead of the “big” rail roko plan, including mass meetings and moholla sabhas.
The Gujarat police has acted against Mevani despite the fact that there was a distinct view that the rail roko and chain pulling programme across India had failed to find support among Dalit rights activists, who openly began saying they would "not be part of it."

Mevani's rail roko poster

Modi would be celebrating his 66th birthday on Saturday by distributing assistive aids and appliances in Navsari in South Gujarat to 11,000 differently-abled persons – considered by circles around him as the hibhest number in the world ever at one spot, which would become a Guinness Book records.
Other Guinness records being planned on the occasion include 1,000 oil lamps lit by differently-abled at one time, a formation by 1,000 wheelchair-bound persons and distribution of hearing aid to 1,000 beneficiaries.
A Mevani aide, Pratik Sinha says, Jignesh is “not the only person who has been detained. Others detained include Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Patidar leaders.”
Well-known CPI-ML leader Kavita Krishnan was the first to sound a note a protest against Mevani being picked up.
She said, “What is the BJP Government of Gujarat scared of? Arresting and jailing leaders of movements only displays your fear of those movements. Arresting the leader of the Una Gujarat Dalit movement proves it has scared the Gujarat government and the BJP nationally.
This is not for the first time that people were detained ahead of state-sponsored functions in Gujarat. Well-known human rights Supreme Court advocate Vrinda Grover says, the Gujarat police has “a long history of abducting people at the best of their political masters.”
Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil tweeted: "Dalits detained, Patidars under house arrest, Gaurakshaks beat up and kill a youth. Welcome Prime Minister Modi toGujarat on his birthday."
Modi's arrival in Gujarat for celebrating his birthday coincided with the death of a youth, Mohammad Ayub, in an Ahmedabad hospital after he was attacked by cow vigilantes. Modi recently called 80 per cent of cow vigilantes as fake and anti-social, asking state governments to prepare their complete list and act against them.
Meanwhile, Dalit rights activists have asked those who have already come across the news of Mevani's detention to call up Gujarat DGP PC Thakur on his mobile number 9978406255, Ahmedabad commissioner Shivanand Jha (9978406258 ) and Ahmedabad range DIG Dr KLN Rao (9978405089) to register their protest.

Comments

US-China truce temporary, larger trade war between two economies to continue

By Prabir Purkayastha The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025 may have brought about a temporary relief in the US-China trade war. But unless we see the fine print of the agreement, it is difficult to assess whether this is a temporary truce or the beginning of a real rapprochement between the two nations. The jury is still out on that one and we will wait for a better understanding of what has really been achieved in Busan.

When growth shrinks people: Capitalism and the biological decline of the U.S. population

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Critically acclaimed Hungarian-American economic historian and distinguished scholar of economic anthropometric history, Prof. John Komlos (Professor Emeritus, University of Munich), who pioneered the study of the history of human height and weight, has published an article titled “The Decline in the Physical Stature of the U.S. Population Parallels the Diminution in the Rate of Increase in Life Expectancy” on October 31, 2025, in the forthcoming issue of Social Science & Medicine (SSM) – Population Health, Volume 32, December 2025. The findings of the article present a damning critique of the barbaric nature of capitalism and its detrimental impact on human health, highlighting that the average height of Americans began to decline during the era of free-market capitalism. The study draws on an analysis of 17 surveys from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (...

Justice for Zubeen Garg: Fans persist as investigations continue in India and Singapore

By Nava Thakuria* Even a month after the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore under mysterious circumstances, thousands of his fans and admirers across eastern India continue their campaign for “ JusticeForZubeenGarg .” A large digital campaign has gained momentum, with over two million social media users from around the world demanding legal action against those allegedly responsible. Although the Assam government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has arrested seven people, and a judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court to oversee the probe, public pressure for justice remains strong.

Is vaccine the Voldemort of modern medicine to be left undiscussed, unscrutinised?

By Deepika* Sridhar Vembu of Zoho stirred up an internet storm by tweeting about the possible link of autism to the growing number of vaccines given to children in India . He had only asked the parents to analyse the connection but doctors, so called public health experts vehemently started opposing Vembu's claims, labeling them "dangerous misinformation" that could erode “vaccine trust”!

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Trump escalates threats of war against Venezuela, as millions in US set to lose essential benefits

By Manolo De Los Santos The United States government is in the grips of one of its longest-running funding gaps in history. The ongoing government shutdown has already stretched beyond 30 days and now, the food security of millions of Americans is at risk as the funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is drying up and Trump officials have refused to tap into contingency funds . Approximately 42 million individuals per month rely on SNAP benefits and are set to lose them beginning on November 1.

Gujarat civil society to move Supreme Court against controversial electoral roll revision

By Rajiv Shah A recent, well-attended meeting of Gujarat civil society activists in Ahmedabad , held to discuss the impact of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the controversial exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) across the country. Announcing this, senior High Court advocate Anand Yagnik , who heads the Gujarat chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said that a committee has already been formed to examine the pros and cons of SIR. “While the SIR exercise began in Gujarat on November 4 and is scheduled to continue for a month, we will file a supporting petition in the case against SIR in the Gujarat High Court or the Supreme Court after observing how it proceeds in the state,” he said. Yagnik’s announcement followed senior advocate Shahrukh Alam —who is arguing the SIR case in the Supreme Court—urging Gujarat’s civil society to also file ...

Why PESA, a Birsa Munda legacy, remains India’s unfulfilled commitment to its tribal peoples

By Raj Kumar Sinha* Nearly three decades ago, the Indian Parliament enacted a landmark law for tribal regions — the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, better known as PESA. This legislation sought to restore the traditional autonomy of tribal societies and empower them to use local resources according to their customs and needs. However, such decentralization never sat well with today’s developmental politicians, capitalists, and bureaucrats. The question therefore arises — what makes PESA so important?

Search This Blog