NewDelhi: Vadgam MLA and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani has alleged that his life is under threat and has accused the Gujarat Police of planning to kill him in an encounter. The Gujarat Dalit leader made the allegation on Twitter after a discussion on a WhatsApp group called ‘ADR Police & Media’ went viral on Friday.
He tweeted, “Jignesh Mevani’s encounter? Here is the link to a web portal which exposes a Whatsapp communication where two top cops are discussing how I could be killed in an encounter. Can you believe this?” Mevani tweeted.
Mevani is also reportedly going to file a complaint to the Gujarat DGP, the state’s Home Minister and the Home Secretary.
The ‘ADR Police & Media’ WhatsApp group has several members from the Gujarat Police and media. Two videos were recently posted on the WhatsApp group. In one of the videos, a group of policemen were seen allegedly thrashing a person dressed up like a politician and the other was an interview of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in which he is defending the state police in connection with the recent encounters carried out in UP.
The two videos follow a message by RB Devdha, the DySP of Ahmedabad (rural), which reads: “Those who want to be the ‘baap’ of police and call the police as ‘lakhota’ (marbles) and those who take videos of police should remember that with people like you, the police will be like this. Scores will be settled. ‘ Gujarat Police.”
Devdha, however, later clarified to a leading daily that he has been misinterpreted and said that he had only copied and pasted a forwarded message.
On February 18, a video showing Mevani arguing with the police after he was detained just before he was to start Ahmedabad bandh went viral. The bandh was called in protest of the death of Dalit activist Bhanu Vankar.
Mevani had recently said that he will campaign in Karnataka, which will go to polls this year.
According to IANS, Mevani said that he will campaign along with the ‘like-minded’ parties against the BJP in April.
”In April, I’ll be in Karnataka for two weeks. I will urge 20% of Dalits in the state that not even their 20 votes should go to them (BJP),” Mevani had said while speaking at an event held to commemorate the 55th birth anniversary of slain journalist Gauri Lankesh.
During his speech, the Gujarat Dalit icon said that all mainstream political parties from Karnataka should form an alliance to defeat the BJP.
Bureau Report
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