Kandhal, brothers thrash rival inside police station

RAJKOT: Just three days after he won the assembly polls, Kutiyana MLA Kandhal Jadeja was arrested for rioting and beating up a police official in Ranavav on Thursday. Along with Jadeja, police also arrested his two brothers Karan and Kana. They are sons of the late ‘godmother’ Santokben Jadeja.
Jadeja, the only Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) winner, was itching for revenge against his rival Samant Gogan Mer for campaigning against him.Jadeja and his supporters went to Mer’s house after Wednesday midnight but Mer had already taken shelter in the Ranavav police station as he had feared an attack on him.
At around 5am, the MLA and others then barged into the police station and started thrashing Mer. They also beat up two a police constables and an assistant sub-inspector, who tried to intervene in the fight. Jadeja also broke the telephone of the police station.
Porbandar superintendent of police, Shobha Bhutda, told TOI, “An FIR has been registered against Kandhal Jadeja for rioting, assault, obstructing public servant in his duty and damaging public property. The three brothers have been arrested and kept in Porbandar police custody.
“We arrested them from the house of Jadeja’s in Porbandar where they went after creating ruckus at the police station,” Bhutda added.
“The accused beat up Gogan and the police station officer present there. They then created ruckus and damaged a telephone kept at the police station,” Ranavav’s police inspector N D Parmar said.
Sources said Mer had tried to contest as an independent candidate from Kutiyana allegedly against the wishes of Jadeja but had later withdrawn his nomination form. However, the matter did not end there and the fight escalated.
Jadeja and others were booked under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 504 (intentional insult), 427 (mischief causing damage), 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant), the police official said. Kandhal was elected for the second time from Kutiyana seat. He defeated BJP’s Lakhman Odedara by over 23,000 votes.