'Assam police arrested me on PMO's orders,' says Mevani; woman cop likely to move HC

Gujarat MLA Jignesh  Mevani on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that the FIR filed against him in Assam is a blatant disregard for the rule of law and an insult meted out to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution.

Addressing the media in Guwahati a day after securing bail in an assault case from Barpeta court, Mevani said his arrest was nothing short of a message given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-RSS and the Assam government to the people of the state, warning them of action for dissent.

"If an MLA from another state could be arrested by the Assam Police, any dissenter in the northeastern state could also be easily crushed," he said.

He further said that the government wanted to crush his spirit and confidence, but the arrest made no difference to him. “Any number of FIRs can be filed against me but I will not move an inch from my stand," Mevani said.

The Congress-backed Independent MLA was first arrested from Palanpur in Gujarat in the wake of a complaint in Kokrajhar in Assam for a purported tweet against the prime minister. Shortly after getting bail in this case, Mevani was rearrested in Barpeta in a case of an alleged assault filed against him by a woman police officer. He was granted bail in this case on Friday.

The legislator has completed all legal formalities and is expected to leave for Gujarat on Saturday night.