The 8 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, who were arrested by Ahmedabad police for allegedly putting up posters across the city as part of its countrywide campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be produced before a local court today.
The posters they had allegedly put up read: “Modi hatavo, desh bachavo” (Remove Modi, save the country).
Karan Barot, the state spokesperson of AAP, said, “All of them were arrested on Thursday and will be presented before the (Metropolitan) court in Gheekanta in Ahmedabad today.”
The city crime branch, which on Thursday evening had denied the arrest or detention of AAP workers, saying that it was “a matter that was being handled by the local police stations”, issued a press note on Friday morning stating that eight persons were arrested by concerned police stations. The eight accused are — Natwar Thakor, Jatin Patel, Kuldeep Bhatt, Bipin Sharma, Ajay Chauhan, Arvind Chahuhan, Jeevan Maheshwari, and Paresh Tulsiyani.
Six FIRs were filed on Thursday against Natwar Thakor, Jatin Patel, Kuldeep Bhatt, Bipin Sharma, Ajay Chauhan in Isanpur (three FIRs), Vatva, Maninagar, and Narol police stations, under the Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Press and Registration of Books Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
One FIR was also filed on Thursday against Arvind Chahuhan, Jeevan Maheshwari and the owner of a printing press at Vadaj police station under the same sections of the three acts. The FIR states that those booked under the aforementioned sections “tried to hide the name of the printing press where such banners (posters) were printed and also the number of such banners printed”. “Such an act is in direct violation of Section 12 of the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 (printing contrary to rule in Section 3 which states that every book or paper printed within India shall have printed legibly on it the name of the printer and the place of printing, and if the book or paper be published, the name of the publisher, and the place of publication,” the FIR read.
The FIR filed at the Airport police station (Thursday) was against Paresh Tulsiyani, but only under the IPC Section 120 B and 427 and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The FIR stated that the Airport police officials, who were on duty in the said jurisdiction, received a call from the police station stating that banners reading “Modi hatavo, desh bachavo” were put up at various public places. When they went out to check, they found the banners at Sardarnagar circle, Hansol Talavadi circle and near Indira Bridge AMTS bus stand. The police, as per the FIR, claimed to have “removed these banners” from the mentioned areas.
The FIRs mentioned that these persons were booked as they “have done an act which is illegal, a premeditated conspiracy, and damaged the public property for private use and altered the original appearance of that property. There was no name of any individual, printing press or symbol on the posters put up”. The FIRs also mention that none of them took “prior permission” to put up such posters.
All the eight arrested belonged to the Ahmedabad unit of AAP, and one of the accused, Jatin Patel, is the vice president of the city unit of the party. (Courtesy: Express News Service)
