Anti-Vibrant Gujarat protest fizzles out with arrest of Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, farmer activist Sagar Rabari

Mevani supporters detained at Adalaj

By A Representative
Anti-Narendra Modi protest against the Vibrant Gujarat world business summit, planned by top Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani with last-hour help of Sagar Rabari of the Khedut Samaj Gujarat, a non-political farmers' organizations, fizzled out on Tuesday, with the detention of the two leaders. A dozen of their supporters were also detained at Adalaj, the spot "fixed" for starting the protest.
The two leaders were picked up from the residence at about 7 am in the morning, much before they could start their journey to reach the spot where the protest was to begin – Adalaj, about 10 kilometres from the Mahatma Mandir in Gujarat capital, Gandhinagar,where the Vibrant Gujarat business meet began on Tuesday.
Mevani, after taking Rabari's support, had announced on Monday that he would “disrupt” the high profile business summit. The Patels' pro-quota organization owing allegiance to young leader Hardik Patel, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, also declared support to Mevani.
The Vibrant Gujarat summit was inaugurated by the Prime Minister at Mahatma Mandir. There was strong police picket along all roads leading to Gandhinagar, anticipating the protest. Opposition political parties, including Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, kept themselves away from the move to disrupt the summit.
The two leaders were taken to the Gujarat University police station. Mevani had announced at that he, along with Rabari and other supporters, would start their protest at 12 noon to reach the Vibrant Summit site.
The police claimed they arrested the two leaders – convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch and general secretary of the Khedut Samaj Gujarat, respectively – for “violation” of the police commissioner’s notification under section-144 of CrPC, which prohibits rally or any public meeting of more than four persons.
The detentions took place following sharp differences surfacing between two main leaders who had planned to protest against the Vibrant Gujarat business summit – Alpesh Thakore, who has emerged as a top other backward caste (OBC) mobilizer in the recent past, and Mevani.
First Thakore went ahead with a separate rally early this month in Ahmedabad against the Gujarat government's “failure” to give employment to local people. Then, following talks with government officials, he declared his decision to withdraw his support to Mevani, as was “assured” that Gujaratis would get 85 per cent reservation in jobs.
This invited ire from the Dalit leadership, which wondered whether he was “afraid” of being arrested or there was some secret agreement with the state government.
On being detained, Mevani, in a WhatsApp message, said he had been “arrested by Gujarat police for announcing to disrupt the vibrant Gujarat summit”, which he termed “a fraud”. He added, farmers', Patidar leader and Dalits leaders all have been arrested.
He further said, there is “no scope” of doing any peaceful demonstration here in Gujarat, of asking Modi how many jobs he had create through these vibrant Gujarat summits. If one asks him why fertile land of farmers was being handed over to industries, one would be dubbed “anti-development”, he added.
Mevani wondered, whether land was available for "business groups and corporate giants, but not for Dalits and tribals, or other landless people." Mevani and Rabari were released at 10.00 pm at night.
In a separate development, around 100 fixed pay employees working with state government offices were detained in Gandhinagar as they tried to organize protest against the Vibrant Gujarat summit.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog