Jignesh Mevani | Photo Credit: ANI

Vadgam: MLA Jignesh Mevani detained at Jaipur airport; said, 'I had to go to Nagaur to talk about Baba Saheb Ambedkar. I don't know what made Vasundhara Raje government restrict me. They aren't even letting me roam in Jaipur. Police have no order, it's illegal' Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], Apr. 15 (ANI): Jignesh Mevani, an MLA from Gujarat's Vadgam, on Sunday, was detained at the Jaipur Airport by authorities. Mevani was heading to Nagaur, a city approximately 240 kms east of Jaipur, to deliver a speech on the Indian Constitution and Baba Saheb Ambedkar.

"I had to go to Nagaur to talk about Baba Saheb Ambedkar. I don't know what made Vasundhra Raje's (Chief Minister) government restrict me. They aren't even letting me roam in Jaipur. Police have no order, this is illegal," said Mevani. He also took to Twitter to vent out his frustration over the whole affair, saying, "For urgent attention of media: today, immediately after I landed at Jaipur airport, few cops made me sign a letter saying MlA Jignesh Mevani's entry is restricted in entire nagor district of Rajasthan. I was going there to talk about Indian constitution and Baba Saheb Ambedkar." The authorities, however, stated that as circumstances in the city have been precarious, following April 2 Bharat Bandh called by various Dalit outfits, and that they did not want any instance of communal violence to spark off.

Condemning the Rajasthan government's approach, Mevani tweeted, "Now the DCP is saying u r not allowed to move around even in Jaipur and they are forcing me to fly back to Ahmedabad and also not allowing to hold even a press conference...this is shocking."

"For the past 2 hours I am asking the on duty DCP of Jaipur whether he has any order to restrict my movement he has no answer. He saying 'upar se bola hai'..he took away local dalit activist's mobile also. As per law, this is a case of legally confining me, if nt kidnapping.Shame," he wrote in another tweet.