Rajasthan: Section 144 imposed ahead of Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani's visit

JAIPUR: The sub-divionsional magistrate of

Neem Ka Thana

in Sikar district has imposed Section 144 of the

Criminal Procedure Code

, 1973, preventing the assembly of more than five people. This comes as Gujarat Independent MLA Jignesh Mewani was set to visit the area to take stock of the dalits who were harassed in the wake of the

all-India bandh

of April 2. The order mentions that the visit by Mewani and

Kavita Srivastava

of People’s Union for Civil Liberties could foment trouble.

The order states that no assembly will be allowed until midnight on Sunday. The order states that there is apprehension of disturbance. Raising of divisive slogans and carrying weapons has been barred – the order also mentions that old or disabled people who need walking sticks will be allowed to use these; Sikhs will also be allowed to carry items their faith requires them to carry.

Mewani, who was detained for a few hours at Jaipur airport on April 15, is touring parts of the state where a large number of Dalits were taken into custody on April 2. Activist Kailash Meena of Neem Ka Thana said across the state, over 400 people are still in jails after the April 2 bandh.

Mewani visited Khairtal in Alwar, where police firing had left one youth dead on April 2. Mewani was accompanied by Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan, teacher Rashid Hussein, activists Navin Narayan, Sanjay Madhav of CPI-M and Dalit leader Dharmendra Jatav and others. Mewani addressed the media at Khairtal. Members of the family Pawan Kumar, killed on April 2 in police firing, were unable to control their tears.