AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava detained while on way to surrender in Gujarat

Narmada: AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava and nearly 100 of his supporters were detained in Gujarat's Narmada district on Tuesday while he was going to surrender at a police station in neighbouring Bharuch in a case against him, officials said.

The preventive detention was made due to law and order concerns as the MLA was going to appear before the police without notice, Dediapada police station's inspector Prakash Pandya said.

"In view of the law and order concerns, we detained Vasava and around 100 of his supporters at Navagam when they were on way to a police station in Ankleshwar in connection with an FIR registered against the MLA on December 10," Pandya said.

Vasava, a tribal leader, was booked for making an unauthorised entry to the premises of an industrial unit at the Ankleshwar GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) in Bharuch district on December 3 along with his supporters soon after a boiler blast there killed four workers.

In the FIR registered at the Ankleshwar GIDC police station on December 10, Vasava was charged with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections pertaining to obstructing public servants, threat of injury to a public servant, criminal trespass and wrongful restraint.

The FIR stated that Vasava and his supporters entered the factory premises despite being prevented from doing so, as the rescue operation was underway.

They went in to meet relatives of the deceased workers and prevented police and other officials from carrying out their duties, and even threatened factory officials. They also instigated relatives of the workers against the police and government, said the FIR.

Reacting to his detention, Vasava said he was on way to appear before the police in connection with the FIR as he was "wrongly framed".

"If the police want, they can put me in jail. I am here to fight for justice to the people, and will continue to do so till my last breath," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator also questioned police's "compulsion" that made them the complainant in the case.

Referring to another FIR registered against him at Rajpardi police station in Bharuch on December 7, Vasava alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was running a "dictatorial" government.

"We were booked for a peaceful protest march, but we are not going to be scared," he said.

Vasava is the MLA from Dediapada in Narmada district.

Earlier this year, he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Bharuch seat.