Gujarat: BJP MLA’s son booked for assault, kidnapping of Dalit NSUI leader

Ganesh Jadeja, son of Geetaba Jadeja — who is a BJP leader and the MLA for Gondal in Gujarat — has been booked in a case of 'attempt to murder' in Junagadh for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a local Dalit leader on Friday, 31 May. He was working along with others, it has been claimed.

Sanjay Solanki, the city unit chief of the NSUI, has accused Jadeja of kidnapping and attempt to murder. Solanki, who is of a Dalit caste, has filed a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

However, “no arrests have been made yet", says Inspector V.J. Savaj of the Junagadh A Division police station. 

According to the FIR, it began with Solanki asking Ganesh Jadeja to drive more carefully after Jadeja’s car came too close to Solanki’s two-wheeler at Kalva Chowk on Thursday night, 30 May. Angered by this, Jadeja and his associates followed Solanki to his residence but left when Solanki’s father, who knew Jadeja, intervened.

Later, around 3 a.m., Solanki went out on his two-wheeler again. This time, a car carrying Jadeja’s men allegedly rammed him from behind. As Solanki fell to the ground, five men emerged, beat him with sticks and forced him into the car, the FIR says. He was then taken to Jadeja’s residence, where he was further assaulted and pressured to quit the NSUI.

The accused dropped Solanki off at the Bhesan crossroads in the morning, according to the FIR.

Demanding justice for Solanki, the Gujarat unit of the NSUI has called on chief minister Bhupendra Patel to expel the BJP MLA from the party immediately.

'The BJP is beating up Dalit people openly!' wrote the Gujarat NSUI on a post on X.

'Sanjay Solanki was kidnapped by Ganesh Jadeja, son of MLA Geetaba Jadeja, and an attempt was made to kill him. [Gujarat Police] are sleeping!

'Gujarat CM [Bhupendra Patel] must immediately send the accused to jail and expel the anti-Dalit MLA from the party,' the post continued.