JIGNESH MEVANI independent MLA
They were stripped of their clothes, tied to the back of a car, and beaten with sticks and iron pipes. Videos of the violence went viral.
The incident changed Jignesh Mevani’s life. Until then, he had been just another dalit activist fighting for the uplift of his community. Born in a lower-middle-class family in Mehsana district, he was a graduate in English literature and law, and had worked briefly as a journalist and lawyer. The Una incident so moved him that Mevani mobilised a mass movement and led a 400km padyatra to Una. He also set up the rights platform Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, becoming the face of the dalit struggle for land in Gujarat.
Mevani, 41, now represents the Vadgam constituency in the Gujarat assembly. A vociferous critic of the BJP, he was recently arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy by the Assam Police for a tweet criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mevani said in the tweet: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who considers Godse as his god, is going on a tour of Gujarat from April 20. I appeal to him that he should appeal for calm in Himmatnagar, Khambat and Veraval, where communal violence broke out. Can we at least hope for this much from the maker of the grand temple?”
Mevani was charged with trying to “incite hatred” and “destroy the social fabric”. But a district court in Assam said the arrest was unlawful and granted him bail.
He was re-arrested after a lady police officer alleged that Mevani had harassed and threatened her while being in custody in Assam, but the court again granted him bail.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 22, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 22, 2022 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
War Over Wounded Earth
For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra
Say no to continual elections
Following the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind to streamline the widely scattered schedule of national, state and local elections, the Union cabinet has reportedly approved two constitutional amendment bills for likely introduction in Parliament. Predictably, the return of the ‘one nation, one election’ issue to news has set off a flurry of objections by several opposition leaders.
Fabulously, fashionably funny
The third season of the Karan Johar-produced Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives dropped on Netflix, but articles criticising the show appear in some news site or the other almost daily. If it is so bad, why keep writing about it? And if it is so bad, why would the superpowers at Netflix, who are harder to meet than the prime minister, commission the show season after season?
All in the family
The Chitaras have been passing down the secret art of Mata Ni Pachedi through generations for more than 400 years now
Raise a toast to Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is a New Year baby. At 45, she is aglow in the most beautiful way, having won the hearts and admiration of countless fans across the world, who watched the supremely talented actor take a public tumble on stage at a high-profile promotional event recently, sharing the platform with no less a dancer than the eternally graceful Madhuri Dixit.
Death no bar
Being alive is not a legal requirement to be elected president of the United States
The Lotus POTUS
You should visit us one of these days— there is so much excitement in our USA! No, I don’t mean the famous USA—the Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association of Mumbai.
RAY OF HOPE
Actor and cancer survivor Lisa Ray talks to oncologist Dr Jame Abraham about inner strength and her surrogacy journey
LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK
AT THE WEEK Health Summit, Siddharth Bagga, head (retail, CPG and health care), Google Cloud, elaborated on the significant work that Google has been doing in health care through artificial intelligence (AI).
PRESSURE POINTS
Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world
