Mevani completes legal formalities in Kokrajhar, to leave for Gujarat

Jignesh Mevani. File Pic

Gujarat's Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, on Saturday completed pending bail formalities at the Kokrajhar Court and is slated to return to his home state after travelling to Guwahati, where he will be meeting Congress leaders who supported demands that he be released.

Mevani, an independent MLA from Gujarat, told reporters here after completing the formalities that it was "shameful that false cases were filed" against him in the land of Srimanta Sankardeva, a revered Vaishnavite saint.

Mevani was granted bail by the Kokrajhar court earlier on Monday in a case related to a tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi but was rearrested immediately afterwards and taken to Barpeta based on allegations by a woman police officer that he assaulted and molested her while he was being escorted by a police posse.

After being given bail by the Barpeta district judge on Friday, who pulled up Assam police for registering a "false FIR" in the alleged assault case, Mewani came to Kokrajhar earlier this morning to complete the original bail fromalities.

He also took the permission of the court to leave the town, as one of his bail conditions was to stay within the limits of the court's jurisdiction.

"All the procedures related to the Kokrajhar bail order has been completed and Mevani will go to Guwahati before leaving for Gujarat," his lawyer said.

"It was entirely a conspiracy to harass me and to use a woman official for the purpose (which) reflects their cowardice and is against the culture of the state," Mewani said.

Alleging that the BJP leadership was behind his arrest, he asked, "Why will the Assam police suddenly arrest me, register cases, ask for remand, vehemently oppose the bail application?"

"It is because they have got instructions from their political bosses', the Dalit leader alleged.

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