Hardik Patel charged with sedition over alleged remarks on killing cops

Hardik Patel, the 22 years old leader of the Patel quota stir, has been charged with sedition over alleged remarks on killing cops in video, media reports quoting Surat Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said.

On October 3, Patel had reportedly advised a youth from the community to rather kill policemen than commit suicide.

"If you have so much courage...then go and kill a couple of policemen. Patels never commit suicide," Hardik said in Surat, speaking to a local youth, Vipul Desai, who had announced that he would commit suicide in support of the agitation.

Later, Hardik denied that he gave such an advice. "I have not given any advice to kill policemen. This is an attempt to misguide the people. If I am seen giving such a statement in any video or audio, then action should be taken against me," he said.

The Gujarat Police had then said that the young leader's provocative and insensible statement regarding killing cops violated limits of law.

"Hardik's statement (of killing policemen) is provocative and insensible. Undoubtedly his statement is violating all the limits of existing laws, as and when we will get the transcript of his statement, law will take its own course," Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) P C Thakur has said.

Criticising the remarks of the 22-year-old leader as "misuse of free speech", the Gujarat top cop alleged that Hardik has been making an attempt to create anarchy in the state.

"He (Hardik) had uttered very unfortunate words (about killing policemen), in a way he talked of creating anarchy and attempting to break the integrity of the nation," he added.