Gandhinagar, October 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani has accused the BJP-led Gujarat government of targeting him after two FIRs were registered against him within 24 hours over alleged confrontations with police during campaigning for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections.
Mevani linked the cases to his allegations of a Rs 150-crore land scam involving the Thakor community, claiming that the action against him was politically motivated. The allegations against the BJP and the circumstances surrounding the land dispute have not been independently established.
In a video statement on Monday, the Congress legislator said no criminal case had been registered against a BJP leader who, he alleged, had used abusive language against his mother and sister, while two FIRs had been filed against him in a single day.
“For the past week, I have been speaking against a government broker who allegedly grabbed land worth Rs 150 crore belonging to the Thakor community,” Mevani said, alleging that the cases were an attempt to silence him.
Invoking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of cases against opposition leaders, Mevani declared, “As Rahul-ji says, every FIR against us is a medal. These FIRs, too, are medals for me.”
He challenged the authorities to register cases against BJP ministers, legislators and MPs, accusing them of acting selectively. Mevani also warned that he would intervene if Congress workers or members of the public were unlawfully taken to police stations.
The two FIRs relate to separate incidents on October 8, ahead of polling for the GMC elections, at Pethapur police station and a police outpost in Sector 13.
In the first case, Mevani and seven others were booked on allegations of obstructing police personnel, creating a disturbance and interfering with the recording of a Congress candidate’s statement.
According to the complaint filed by Police Inspector A.M. Desai, Congress candidate Yunus Parmar, contesting from Ward 4, had been summoned for questioning following an allegation that he and his associates threatened BJP campaigner Bhavesh Bhavsar at Sanjari Park in Pethapur around 10 p.m. on October 8.
The complaint alleged that Mevani and his supporters entered the police station while Parmar was being questioned, obstructed the inspector from performing his duties and prevented the candidate’s statement from being recorded. They were also accused of using abusive language and raising slogans outside the station referring to the Thakor community.
Police further alleged that footage of the incident was circulated on social media and that Mevani continued campaigning after the prescribed campaign period had ended.
The second FIR concerns an alleged confrontation at the Sector-13 police outpost. Munaf Pathan, a supporter of Parmar, was accused of threatening Nilesh Vishnu Panchal, who was campaigning for another candidate. Pathan was taken to the outpost for questioning.
According to the complaint, Mevani and a group of supporters arrived at the outpost, questioned officers about Pathan’s detention, created a commotion and obstructed police personnel. The complaint also alleged that Pathan was forcibly taken out of the outpost while questioning was under way.
The second case names Mevani, individuals identified as Rathod and Memon, and around seven unidentified persons, according to reports.
The cases come amid heightened political activity surrounding the Gandhinagar civic elections, with polling held on Sunday across 11 wards comprising 44 seats.
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