Quota agitation leader Hardik Patel arrested by Surat Police on charges of sedition

Rajkot: Quota agitation leader Hardik Patel was arrested by Surat Police on Monday on charges of sedition from Rajkot.

He had been booked by the police under stringent sedition charges for his alleged controversial remarks instigating a community youth to kill policemen instead of committing suicide.

Earlier Patel was today arrested in a case of insulting the tricolour.

Hardik, who was detained yesterday by Rajkot rural police ahead of the India-South Africa One-Day International as he had threatened to disrupt the match, was arrested by the rural police for allegedly insulting the national flag.

"We have checked all the video footage, which clearly suggested that Hardik did commit an offence of insulting the national flag. Thus, police have lodged an FIR against Hardik at Paddhari Police Station today after which, we have arrested Hardik," Rajkot-Rural Superintendent of Police Gagandeep Gambhir said, as per PTI.

The sedition case has been filed under section 124(A) of IPC at Amroli Police Station in Surat under which any accused, if convicted, can be sentenced to maximum of life imprisonment, while the minimum sentence is of three years.

The section reads, "whoever, by words, either spoken or written..Brings hatred or contempt, or excites disaffection towards the Government shall be punishable with imprisonment for life. Or with minimum imprisonment up to three years."

Other IPC sections included in the FIR against Hardik are section 115 (Abetment of offence), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, 505-2 (incite one community against another) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

(With PTI inputs)