Cross FIRs filed in Junagadh AAP convoy attack case

RAJKOT: Cross FIRs have been filed with Visavadar police on Thursday in the case of alleged attack on Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers near Leriya village in Junagadh district on Wednesday. Both groups have leveled allegations of being attacked by each other using sharp-edge weapons in their plaints.
Investigation in this matter has been handed over to the local crime branch.
According to sources, in the FIR registered by AAP worker Haresh Savaliya a resident of Surat, a few people associated with BJP have been named as accused. In his complaint, Savaliya stated that AAP leaders Isudan Gadhvi, Mahesh Savani, Pravin Ram, Atul Shekhda, Nimisha Khunt and 50 other workers were on their way to address a Jan Samvedna Yatra in Leriya village, when their convoy was attacked by a mob comrising 40 to 50 people. Attackers were using sticks, pipes and weapons like swords.
“They tried to kill me and also issued threats that they want to kill our leaders,” Savaliya said in the FIR, adding, “I believe that the attack was because of the animosity that honest and people with social prestige are joining AAP. I also heard the accused saying ‘this is a BJP area and we won’t allow AAP to organise any meeting’.”
Altogether 13 people including Giju Vikma, Krunal Vikma, Hiren Vikma, Abhi Vikma, Jeetu Ravaiya, Parthiv Vikma, Uday Mehta, Kana Gor, Jasmine Shashtri, Abhi Goswami, Jitendra Mehta, Dinesh Vikma and Kishor Dobariya and other unknown people have been named in the FIR registered under IPC sections 307, 323, 324, 294 (b), 506(2), 427, 337, 143, 147, 148, 149.
While Abhi Goswami is Visavadar Yuva BJP president, Uday Mehta is a treasurer of Junagadh Yuva Morcha and Abhi Vikma is a party worker. “It was an issue of Bhram Samaj and the party has nothing to do with it, the one accused is also engaged with Congress so they were not acting on behalf of the party,” said Junagadh BJP district president Kirit Patel.
Meanwhile, resident of Visavadar, Satish Chavdangar, registered a complaint against AAP party workers Haresh Savaliya, Pravin Ram, Jaysukh Paghdar and 50 other party workers. The FIR stated that they gathered to register their protest against the statement made by party leader Gopal Italiya against the Bhramin community.
The accused AAP workers attacked them with sharp-edge weapons, formed an illegal assembly and tried to run them over with their car, the FIR stated which too has been registered under the same IPC sections.
AAP workers from across the state reached Visavadar police station late on Wednesday night in around 50 cars that were parked outside the police station. Workers chanting Ram Dhun were demanding registration of FIR and the arrest of the accused.