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

By Our 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

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha* The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Savarkar in Ahmedabad 'declared' two-nation theory in 1937, Jinnah followed 3 years later

By Our Representative One of the top freedom fighters whom BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi revere the most, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was also a great supporter of the two nation theory for India, one for Hindus another for Muslims, claims a new expose on the man who is also known to be the original proponent of the concept of Hindutva.

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza* An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas* Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024.

'Very low rung in quality ladder': Critique of ICMR study on 'sudden deaths' post-2021

By Bhaskaran Raman* Since about mid-2021, a new phenomenon of extreme concern has been observed throughout the world, including India : unexplained sudden deaths of seemingly healthy and active people, especially youngsters. In the recently concluded Navratri garba celebrations, an unprecedented number of young persons succumbed to heart attack deaths. After a long delay, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) has finally has published a case-control study on sudden deaths among Indians of age 18-45.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco* Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

Union Health Ministry, FSSAI 'fail to respond' to NHRC directive on packaged food

By Our Representative The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed deep concern over the adverse health effects caused by packaged foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Recognizing it as a violation of the Right to Life and Right to Health of Indian citizens, the quasi-judicial body called for a response from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regarding its selection of front-of-pack labels aimed at providing consumers with information to make healthier choices.

Search This Blog