A sessions court in Surat granted bail to PAAS (Patidar Ananamat Andolan Samiti) leader Hardik Patel’s aide Alpesh Kathiriya in a December 2017 attempt to murder case of a BJP leader Kalpesh Devani. Devani had filed a case against him last year for allegedly attacking him with knives, iron pipes and sticks.
Devani had claimed he was attacked as he was actively campaigning for the BJP candidate. However, preliminary police investigation revealed that he was allegedly attacked for making an insulting video of Patidar community leaders which he later shared on social media. The PAAS leader is likely to be released on Monday.
Kathiriya is also one of the accused in the September 2015 sedition case filed by Ahmedabad Crime Branch against PAAS leaders. He was arrested in August 2018 by Ahmedabad Crime Branch when he was on his way for a symbolic fast. His arrest led to tension in Surat as mob took to burning a bus and vandalising a bus stand.
After he was denied bail by the city sessions court in connection with the sedition case, he was granted him bail in November. In July this year, Hardik Patel was convicted of causing a riot and sentenced to two years in jail. The Patidar Andolan in Gujarat had brought the state to a standstill in 2015 as widespread incidents of violence and clashes had caused intense law and order situations. A total of 9 people had died and the Army had to be deployed to maintain peace.
