Patel agitation: 39 held for 'jail bharo' agitation get bail

Thirty-nine people, who were arrested after the 'jail bharo' agitation by Patel community members turned violent last Sunday, have been granted conditional bail by a local court.

The bail order was passed by the court of Principal District Judge Geeta Gopi on Saturday. The 39 accused were granted bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 15,000 each. While granting bail, the court observed that nearly half of those arrested did not belong to the Patel community.

The bail was granted on certain conditions, including that the accused will have to present themselves before the court once every month, and they will have to ensure that evidences against them are not tampered with.

The accused were arrested on last Sunday under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code for rioting, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. They were arrested after the 'jail bharo' call given by Sardar Patel Group (SPG) and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) turned violent on Sunday, following which Surat Police detained 435 agitators.

Later, 39 people were shown as arrested from different parts of the city, including Amroli, Sarthana, Kapodara, among others, for rioting and causing damage to public property such as CCTV cameras and signboards.