Hardik Patel detained for staging a dharna outside Umiya Dham Campus in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Patel quota leader Hardik Patel along with a few other members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) have been detained by police on Thursday for staging a dharna (sit-in protest) outside the premises of Umiya Dham Campus in Ahmedabad.

The Umiya Dham Campus is run by the members of Patel community.

File image of Hardik Patel. AFP

Hardik Patel along with his close aides Varun Patel and Dinesh Bambhaniya and some other PAAS members were taken away by police in vehicles from outside Umiya Dham Campus on SG Highway, said police inspector of Sola, CL Solanki.

"We have detained Hardik along with eight to nine others for staging dharna outside Umiya Campus. They will be released later," said Solanki.

On Thursday, Hardik had convened a press conference inside the campus to give details about an event to be held there on 5 August, said Varun Patel before his detention.

"However, when we reached here, Sola police prevented us from entering the campus under the pretext that the trustees do not want any press conference inside the campus. However, the trust did not inform anything to us in this regard. Thus, we resorted to dharna outside the gate," said Varun.

According to Hardik, trustees had already given permission for the 5 August event.

PAAS has planned to felicitate bright students of the community during that function.

"Police prevented us at the behest of BJP government, as the trust has already given us permission for the event recently. It is very hard to believe that the trust was against the press conference. Police even prevented us from talking to the management," he said before his detention.

He added that if the trustees cancel the permission for the 5 August event, it will be organised at some other place in the city.