Hardik, 2 Cong MLAs detained on way to meet sacked IPS officer


PTI, Aug 14, 2019, 2:54 PM IST

Palanpur: Congress leader Hardik Patel, two party MLAs and around 27 of their supporters were on Wednesday detained while they were on way to Palanpur district jail in Gujarat to meet sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, police said.

Bhatt, who was in June awarded life sentence in a custodial death case, is currently lodged at the Palanpur district jail.

“We were expecting law and order issues at the jail in Palanpur, so we detained around 30 people, including Hardik Patel, Congress MLAs from Palanpur and Patan and their supporters, when they entered Palanpur to go to the sub-jail to meet Bhatt,” he said.

The two MLAs who have been detained are Mahesh Patel of Palanpur and Kirit Patel of Patan.

The sacked IPS officer’s wife Shweta Bhatt on Tuesday announced she will accompany her husband’s supporters (most of them women), who wanted to tie ‘rakhi’ to him, to Palanpur jail, the police official said.

“Hardik Patel said he will also accompany her. While Sanjiv Bhatt’s wife has been allowed to go to meet him as she is a family member, we have detained the others,” he informed.

Sanjiv Bhatt was in June this year awarded life sentence in a custodial death case dating back to 1990 when he was posted as an additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar district.

On September 5, 2018, he was arrested in another case, where he is accused of falsely implicating a man for alleged possession of drugs in Palanpur in 1996. The trial in the case continues.

Some people recently launched a social media campaign in his support and sought rakhis, which they said will be handed over to him.

The Gujarat-cadre officer was suspended from the Indian Police Service in 2011 and sacked by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2015 on grounds of “unauthorized absence from service”.

In 2012, his wife unsuccessfully contested the state Assembly poll on Congress’ ticket against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Maninagar constituency in Ahmedabad.

Sanjiv Bhatt made headlines when he alleged in an affidavit before the Supreme Court that after the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002, Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, at a meeting asked senior police officers to let the majority community vent its anger.

The Special Investigation Team appointed by the apex court to investigate the 2002 riots concluded that Bhatt, being a very junior officer then, was not present at the meeting.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

World Bunts Summit to be held in Mumbai on December 7

SC dismisses PIL seeking CBI probe into Tirupati laddus row

Salman Khan gets another threat; message sent to Mumbai traffic police helpline

SC overrules 1967 verdict holding AMU can’t be minority institution

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, editors of Kannada news portals booked for allegedly spreading fake news

Egg distribution scheme for school children under scrutiny over alleged mismanagement

India Post M’luru division to offer doorstep service to pensioners for Jeevan Praman certificate

Related Articles More

SC notice to Centre on plea to include ayurveda, yoga in Ayushman Bharat

BJP wants to snatch ”Jal, Jungle, Jameen” from tribals, alleges Rahul at Jharkhand poll rally

SC refuses to examine plea to appoint ‘yoga mitra’ instructors in schools

Maha Vikas Aghadi a vehicle sans wheels and brakes: PM Modi

LDF lodges complaint with EC, seeks probe into distribution of food kits in Wayanad

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Chikkaballapur: Yoga teacher feigns death by holding her breath, escapes murder bid

SC notice to Centre on plea to include ayurveda, yoga in Ayushman Bharat

BJP wants to snatch ”Jal, Jungle, Jameen” from tribals, alleges Rahul at Jharkhand poll rally

Leopard spotted near M’luru airport, Forest Dept begins search operation

Mangaluru International Airport achieves record passenger & air traffic movement in October 2024

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.