Case filed against Gujarat BJP MLA’s son for assaulting Dalit student leader

According to the FIR, the accused took the dalit student leader to his residence where he and his friends mercilessly thrashed the student following a skirmish the previous day.

Dilip Singh Kshatriya

AHMEDABAD: After a case of attempted murder was filed against Ganesh Jadeja, son of Gujarat BJP MLA Geetaba Jadeja, and several others for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a Dalit and National Students’ Union of India, a Congress-affiliated organization (NSUI), an audio recording has surfaced Today. In the recording that went viral on social media, a BJP leader from Junagadh can be heard luring the complainant’s father for a settlement.

The leader was identified as Deputy Mayor Girish Kotecha. During the call, Kotecha asks the complainant’s father, Raju Solanki, “Did your boy fight with anyone? Take what you want to take, but resolve the matter.”

To this Solanki responds angrily, “Once I beat him with a stick, then I’ll settle it.”

A case of attempted murder was registered on Friday against Ganesh Jadeja and several others for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Sanjay Solanki, a local NSUI leader, police reported. Since the complainant is a Dalit, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was also invoked.

According to the FIR, 26-year-old Sanjay Solanki asked Jadeja to drive carefully on Thursday night after Jadeja’s car passed too close to his two-wheeler in the Kalva Chowk area. Angered by this, Jadeja and his associates followed Solanki to his residence on Datar Road but left after Solanki’s father, who knew Jadeja, intervened.

Early the next morning, around 3:00 am, while Solanki was out on his two-wheeler, a car carrying Ganesh Jadeja’s men allegedly rammed into him from behind. As Solanki fell to the ground, five men emerged from the car, allegedly beat him with sticks, and forced him into the vehicle.

They took him to Jadeja’s residence in Gondal, where Ganesh and others mercilessly thrashed him and demanded he quit the NSUI, according to the complainant.

Later in the morning, the accused dropped Solanki at Bhesan crossroads, the FIR stated.

The Congress responded strongly to the incident, questioning the law and order situation in Gujarat.

“According to statistics provided by the Government of India in the Lok Sabha, 11 districts of Gujarat classified as Atrocity Prone Zones include Ahmedabad Rural, Mehsana, Junagadh, Kutch, Banaskantha, Kheda, Amreli, Rajkot Rural, Surendranagar, Vadodara Rural, and Bharuch. This list also includes Junagadh, where the incident occurred,” said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker.

“Every 48 hours, an atrocity attack on the Scheduled Castes occurs under the BJP government. These attacks are alarming for the entire state as they highlight Gujarat’s deteriorating law and order situation,” he added.

Courtesy : TNIE

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