‘Slapped him as people suffered in 2015 stir': Man who slapped Hardik Patel

Tarun Gajjar

, the man who slapped Patidar leader Hardik Patel, said it was an act of vengeance for the immense personal suffering that he had undergone during the 2015 reservation agitation. Despite being thrashed brutally, Gajjar hinted that he would continue to protest against Hardik Talking to reporters in Surendranagar hospital, Gajjar, who is in his forties, said, “My wife was pregnant. She almost had a miscarriage in 2015 when frequent bandh calls given by Hardik resulted in road blockades and reaching hospital became difficult. My son was ill and reaching a hospital in Kalol for treatment was also difficult. It was with great difficulty that we managed to reach the hospital taking different roads.”


“Sometimes reaching Kalol would take two hours and Ahmedabad three hours due to bandhs. He may have done good for the community, but common people were put in severe difficulty. I was waiting for three years (to take revenge,” said Gajjar, who lives in Jasalpur village near Kadi.

Gajjar said that the death of 14 Patidars during the quota agitation was a blot on Hardik. “He is behaving like Hitler and doesn’t even respect the seniors in his community.”


Emphasizing that he was not against the Congress or Patidars, Gajjar said he was protesting against Hardik’s ideology. “Gujarat is a peaceful state. But he is fomenting community divide and misguiding the youth of Gujarat.” Stating that his fight against Hardik was purely personal, Gajjar said that no one had instigated him to slap the Congress leader and he would continue with his protest. Surendrangar superintendent of police Mahendra Bagadia said Gajjar was following Hardik’s schedule on social media.

Talking to TOI, Gajjar’s father Manubhai said that his son had not come to Jasalpur since a fortnight. “Tarun’s friend called me up to inform about the incident,” he said.

Manubhai said that during 2015 quota agitation, Gajjar’s wife was pregnant and hospitalized in Kalol where she required to be given blood. “Tarun had gone to Ahmedabad to get units of blood, but returned only after three hours. This traumatic experience still haunts him.”

Pravin Patel, sarpanch of Jasalpur, said Gajjar is a member of the village panchayat that was formed samras (unanimously without election). “He was chosen to represent his community in the village body. I cannot comment on his BJP affiliation since the panchayat was formed samras,” said Patel.