Hardik Patel, who spearheads the Patidar agitation, is expected to be released from jail on Friday.
Highlights
- Hardik Patel Will Be Released After Nearly 9 Months Behind Bars
- The Patel leader wants quota in jobs and education for his community
- Hardik Patel will be greeted with huge rallies in Surat and Ahmedabad
Nearly nine months after he was arrested by the Gujarat police, allegedly for involvement in sedition and rioting, 22-year-old Hardik Patel, the face of Patidar agitation, is expected to walk out of Surat's Lajpore jail today.
Last week, the Gujarat High Court had granted him bail in two sedition cases filed by the police in Ahmedabad and Surat. Earlier this week, he got a bail in the one remaining rioting case in North Gujarat, which paved the way for his release.
Mr Patel is spearheading an agitation for reservation in government jobs and colleges for his Patel community. In August last year, the agitation had taken a violent turn and he was detained. Several of his associates were also booked, who are now out on bail.
The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, or PAAS, has announced a major show of strength when Mr Patel walks out of the jail.
The police have intensified security as the Patidar body is planning to carry out a series of road shows across the state which Mr Patel will attend after his release -first in Surat and then Ahmedabad and later his hometown Viramgam.
Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel is expected to be in Surat for a government programme at the time.
The Patidars, the community to which the Chief Minister herself belongs, had been politically and financially powerful in the state. But now they say they are floundering as the family businesses declined. The movement snowballed under the influence of Mr Patel's skillful oratory, and the agitation spread fast across the state.