Rajkot: Vanthali police in Junagadh district have registered a case against Praveen Chavda, the winning Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from the Kanaja seat of the Junagadh district panchayat, and five others, along with four unidentified individuals. The accused are alleged to have conspired to create unrest during vote counting and possessed weapons.
Legal Provisions Invoked
The case has been filed under Sections 189, 190, 192, 223(B) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act. The other named accused are Punja Dangar, Vanraj Chavda, Hardik Raval and Rohit Vaghela.
Incident Details
The alleged offence came to light on Tuesday during vote counting at a government college on the Vanthali-Manavadar road. According to a complaint filed by constable Nipun Sonara, two suspicious cars were noticed in the college parking area. During a search, police seized three metal pipes and a plastic shovel handle from the vehicles. The drivers were identified as Hardik Raval, 40, and Rohit Vaghela, 28.
During questioning, the drivers told police that the other occupants of the first car were Praveen Chavda, Punja Dangar and two unidentified persons. The second car was occupied by Vanraj Chavda and two others. Police claim it also emerged that all the men had gathered earlier at Praveen Chavda's oil mill, where they allegedly assembled with weapons.
Allegations
Vanthali police allege that the accused conspired to form an illegal assembly to cause unrest during vote counting, carried weapons in the vehicles and violated a district magistrate's notification prohibiting the possession of arms.
