Ahmedabad: Challenging Hardik Patel’s abduction claims, the state government today told the Gujarat High Court that the Patel agitation spearhead’s close aides were in constant touch with the young leader when he allegedly went missing last month.

After the state government filed its affidavit before the Gujarat High Court, division bench comprising justices M R Shah and K J Thaker directed Hardik’s advocate to file an affidavit by October 19 to substantiate claims made in the petition about his alleged abduction by “police-like persons”.

The High Court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by two aides of Hardik, when he allegedly went missing after the public meeting in Tenpur village of Bayad taluka of Aravali village on September 22.

“It was a sheer figment of imagination on the part of the petitioners to allege that corpus – Hardik Patel was ever abducted. In fact, he was never abducted by anybody, much less by police-like persons in plain clothes,” said the affidavit filed by Sub inspector Y J Rathod of Ambaliyara police station of Aravali district on behalf of the state government.

“It is not true that the captioned petition had to be filed out of fear, since none of the companions were able to contact Hardik on September 22, 2015 as alleged or otherwise.

In fact, petitioners in particular and few others were in close and constant contact with Hardik Patel all throughout right from September 22, 2015 afternoon till about 11 am on September 23, 2015, when Hardik was alleged to have been released on highway somewhere near Surendranagar, it said.

“There was no question at all about the safety of Hardik as alleged or otherwise, more particularly, he himself on his own eloped, putting not only the entire administration, but also this court in a very awkward situation,” it said.

All these were “deliberate and intentional acts on the part of the petitioners to create sensation at the cost of disturbing public peace and tranquility,” said the affidavit.

(PTI)

New Delhi: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel on Wednesday announced the formation of a new group, Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena, with the aim to unite the Kurmi, Gujjar, Maratha and Patel communities.

Patel, who has been spearheading protests in Gujarat to demand reservations for the Patel community, said at a press conference here that the new organisation would try to mobilise support of these communities on the issue of reservation.

Akhilesh Katiyar will be the general secretary of ABPNS.

Katiyar was earlier with the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, which was led by Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha. The former was expelled from RLSP after he organised Patel’s first public meeting here.

Patel plans to organise a ‘Mahasabha’ (grand meeting) in the national capital next month to further his cause.

“The Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena will fight for the cause of farmers, labourers and youth of the country. We’ll organise a huge rally of all the communities from Delhi, Rajasthan and neighbouring states at Ramlila Maidan next month,” he said.

The Patel Navnirman Sena will organise a ‘Mahasammelan’ (grand conference) of five lakh women in Gujarat on October 4.

On October 11, another Mahasabha of 10 lakh Patidars will be organised in Madhya Pradesh.

Patel said he would fight for reservation in government jobs on the basis of castes.

Earlier, he had indicated that he would fight for reservation in jobs according to the economic condition of the candidate.

We are not breaking the unity of various communities, Patel said.

“We are working to unite people. Only the political parties think about fighting with each other. Patel community always thought about uniting everyone, including the Gujjars, Kurmis and other communities.”

(IANS)