Congress leaders object to students wearing T-shirts with Savarkar photos; booked

A group of Gujarat Congress leaders, including its state unit working president Rutvik Makwana, objected to students of a government school wearing T-shirts with Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar's photos during a Tiranga Yatra in Surendranagar district, leading to an altercation and subsequent registration of an FIR against them, police said on Thursday, 15 August.

After the altercation with the principal and teachers of the primary school over the issue of T-shirts on Wednesday, five Congress leaders, including Makwana and national convener of the party-affiliated Seva Dal Lalji Desai, were booked by police on multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including jeopardising India's sovereignty, unity and integrity, and promoting enmity.

As per the FIR (first information report) registered at the Chotila police station, these five Congress leaders, who were part of the party's ongoing 'Nyay Yatra' (justice march), misbehaved with the principal and teachers of the school over the issue of T-shirts, insulted freedom fighters and deterred school staff from discharging their duties.

The incident took place at Sangani village under Chotila taluka of Surendranagar when students of government-run Sangani Primary School were taking out a Tiranga Yatra (tricolour march) on the eve of Independence Day, said deputy superintendent of police V.M. Rabari.

The village where the incident took place is situated close to the Ahmedabad-Rajkot Highway.

Makwana and Desai were part of the Congress' Nyay Yatra, a foot march from Morbi to Gandhinagar, which crossed the Tiranga Yatra at Sangani village near the highway, said Rabari.

"Since students were wearing T-shirts having photographs of Veer Savarkar on them, Makwana, Desai and three other Congress leaders misbehaved with the school staff and asked them why his (Savarkar) photos were there on the T-shirts.

"Following the altercation, school principal Kalpesh Chauhan submitted a complaint based on which an FIR has been registered against these five persons," said the police officer.

During the heated arguments, Makwana, a former Congress MLA from Chotial in Surendranagar district, asked the students to remove the T-shirts with Savarkar's photographs, as per the police.

All five were booked under BNS sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 197(1)(c) (promoting enmity and hatred between two communities) 197(1)(d) (false or misleading information making or publishing that endangers India's sovereignty, unity, integrity, or security), 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of duty) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).

As per the FIR, Congress leaders intercepted the staff as well as students participating in the Tiranga Yatra and raised objection about Savarkar's photos on the T-shirts worn by the pupils.

Desai told principal Chauhan it was not proper to ask students to wear "T-shirts with photos of RSS leader Veer Savarkar".

The Seva Dal functionary then confronted the principal and asked "Don't you feel ashamed to make students wear T-shirts of Savarkar who was involved in the conspiracy to kill Mahatma Gandhi?"

When Chauhan replied that the T-shirts were donated by a Mumbai-based trust for this occasion, Desai raised his voice and asked the school principal if he would ask students to wear "T-shirts of Nathuram Godse or some Rangabilla or Dawood if I donate them to you?"

As per the FIR, Makwana made a video of the altercation with the school staff and then asked the students to remove the T-shirts with Savarkar's photographs.