Trinamool's Saket Gokhale Arrested Again By Gujarat Police, Says Party

Trinamool's Saket Gokhale who managed to secure a bail in an alleged "fake tweet" case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today has been arrested again, prompting howls of protest from his party.

Chief metropolitan magistrate M V Chauhan granted bail to Trinamool leader after he was produced before the court following the completion of his police custody, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Jitendra Yadav.

But soon afterwards he was arrested by the Morbi police in another offence registered there, Mr Yadav said.

Party leader Derek O'Brien tweeted alleging Mr Gokhale was "being harassed by Gujarat Police", adding that a delegation of party MPs is on its way to Gujarat.

"@SaketGokhale @AITCofficial being harassed by Gujarat Police even after getting bail. ARRESTED AGAIN  8.45pm Dec 8. While he was leaving Cyber PS in Ahmedabad, Police team without notice/warrant are arresting him and taking him to unknown destination. CONDEMNABLE," posted Mr O' Brien.

SHOCKER #Break
@SaketGokhale @AITCofficial being harassed by Gujarat Police even after getting bail. ARRESTED AGAIN 8.45pm Dec 8. While he was leaving Cyber PS in Ahmedabad, Police team without notice/warrant are arresting him and taking him to unknown destination. CONDEMNABLE

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) December 8, 2022

Delegation of @AITCofficial MPs Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on way to Gujarat. No one yet arrested for #MorbiBridgeCollapse but spokesperson @SaketGokhale being implicated in multiple false cases. Anxious. Angry. Also, this young man has a serious cardiac condition. Dangerous

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) December 8, 2022

The case against Mr Gokhale, says Gujarat police, originates from a tweet alleging that PM Modi's visit to Gujarat's Morbi - the site of a bridge collapse in which over 140 were killed - in November cost the state government Rs 30 crore -- around six times the total compensation given to the victims of the tragedy. He has also faked documents for his tweet on the subject, police sources have alleged.

The government's fact-check unit had zeroed in on the tweet, which was accompanied by what appeared to be a newspaper clipping. "RTI revealed the PM's visit to Morbi cost Rs 30 crore," it said. The Press Information Bureau, in its fact-check of December 1, said it was fake and "no such RTI response was given".