Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar community agitation for seeking reservation, has urged newly appointed Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel demanding withdrawal of cases registered against Patidars during the stir.
In a letter to Bhupendra Patel, who replaced Vijay Rupani as the CM earlier this month, Hardik said 400 false cases were registered against Patidar community members during the reservation stir in 2015. Hardik himself is facing 28 cases, including sedition charges. Other prominent stir leaders, including Alpesh Kathiria and Lalji Patel, are also facing several cases.
“The earlier governments had promised to withdraw these false cases registered against Patidar youths, but the promise is unfulfilled. On behalf of the Patidar community, I request you to withdraw these cases,” he wrote.
Hardik wrote that former CM Anandiben Patel had ordered the withdrawal of 391 out of 438 cases in July 2016, but less than half have been withdrawn.
Hardik, who joined the Congress party before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said more than 200 cases continue against Patidars and should be withdrawn. He also noted that cases against Karni Sena members registered in connection with rioting at the time of the release of Padmavati have already been withdrawn.
Violence had erupted in Ahmedabad and other places in the state following a massive march in the city by Patidar leaders led by Hardik Patel in August 2015. Cases were registered against Hardik and others in connection to the rioting and violence.