Dalit death: Jignesh Mevani's detention ahead of rally triggers chaos in Ahmedabad

A planned protest in Ahmedabad by MLA Jignesh Mevani and his supporters over the self-immolation of Dalit activist Bhanubhai Vankar turned Sunday into a day of high drama after the city police detained the Vadgam legislator. He was released after nearly 10 hours.

Baba Saheb Ambedkar Chowk, the protest venue, looked like a battle zone, with heavy deployment of policemen in riot gear. Soon after the cops stopped Mevani on his way to the Chowk around 9.45 and bundled him into a police vehicle, his supporters staged angry protests across the city.

"We want them to release Jignesh who is only fighting for our rights. Why was Bhanu bhai forced to self-immolate? We will continue this fight," said Kirit Solanki as he was being shoved into a police van at Sarangpur, while the others in his group of 50-odd agitators shouted "Jai Bhim" and "Bhanubhai ko nyay do" (give justice for Bhanubhai).

Vankar, 61, had set himself ablaze outside the Patan Collector's office on February 15 seeking allotment of land to a Dalit family. He died of burns in Ahmedabad the next day.

While Mevani was kept at the crime branch headquarters in Juhapura through the day, he was released around 7.30 pm in the evening on the insistence of Vankar's family that had been camping outside the mortuary at Civil Hospital in Gandhinagar refusing to claim his body. The government on Sunday handed over to the family a written assurance about the acceptance of their demands.

Sources said Mevani headed for Gandhinagar after his release. At the time of going to print, he was in a meeting with Vankar's family. A decision on accepting the body was yet to be taken.

During the day, the police detained over 150 people, while angry protesters set afire a car and a two-wheeler on Ashram Road and Vadaj. "These protesters will be kept in custody until probably evening and will be allowed to go whenever the situation becomes a little calmer," Inspector VG Rathod of Gaikwad Haweli told DNA on the spot.

JK Bhatt, joint commissioner of police (crime branch) sought to put the blame on Mevani for the chaos. "After yesterday protests in Gandhinagar, some of the Dalit community members had spoken about the protest today and had said that they would do it peacefully. But when the police went to talk to Jignesh Mevani, it seemed he didn't want to carry out anything peacefully. So he was detained in the morning itself."