Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani was booked in two separate FIRs within a 24-hour period over alleged confrontations with police during campaigning for the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections, prompting the legislator to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Gujarat government of targeting him for raising allegations of a ₹150-crore land scam involving the Thakor community. Both cases stem from incidents on 8 October, two days before polling was held across 11 wards comprising 44 seats.

What Mevani Said

In a video statement issued on Monday, Mevani alleged that no criminal case had been registered against a BJP leader who had allegedly used obscene and abusive language against his mother and sister, while two FIRs had been filed against him instead.

'For the past week, I have been speaking against a government broker who allegedly grabbed land worth ₹150 crore belonging to the Thakor community. Since then, he has been so rattled that, instead of registering a criminal case against the BJP leader who used obscene and filthy abuses against my mother and sister, two FIRs have been registered against me in the last 24 hours,' Mevani said in the video.

Invoking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of cases filed against opposition leaders, Mevani declared: 'As Rahul-ji says, every FIR against us is a medal. These FIRs, too, are medals for me.' He also challenged authorities to demonstrate whether they had ever registered an FIR against a BJP minister, MLA, or MP.

Details of the First FIR

The first case was registered at Pethapur police station. According to the complaint filed by Police Inspector A.M. Desai, Congress candidate Yunus Parmar, contesting from Ward 4, had been summoned for questioning following a complaint that he and associates had allegedly threatened BJP campaigner Bhavesh Bhavsar at Sanjari Park in Pethapur around 10 pm on 8 October.

The complaint alleged that Mevani and seven others entered the police station while Parmar was being questioned, obstructed the inspector from performing his duties, used abusive language, and later raised slogans outside the station referencing the Thakor community. Authorities further alleged that footage of the confrontation was recorded and circulated on social media, potentially aggravating communal tensions. Police also alleged that Mevani continued campaigning after the prescribed campaign period had ended.

Details of the Second FIR

The second FIR was registered at the Sector-7 police station and relates to an alleged confrontation at the Sector-13 police outpost. A supporter of Parmar named Munaf Pathan had been taken to the outpost for questioning after allegedly warning Nilesh Vishnu Panchal against campaigning in the area.

Police alleged that Mevani and a group of supporters arrived at the outpost, questioned officers about Pathan's detention, created a commotion, and obstructed personnel from discharging their duties. The complaint further alleged that Pathan was forcibly removed from the outpost while questioning was underway. The second case reportedly names Mevani, a person identified as Rathod, Memon, and around seven unidentified individuals.

Mevani's Defiance and Warning

Accusing the authorities of selective action, Mevani said he was 'not afraid of the police or the government' and would continue to fight. He issued a pointed warning: 'If the police target any Congress worker in this manner, or unlawfully take anyone from Gujarat's 6.5 crore people to a police station, I will go to get them released. They can register as many FIRs against me as they want.'

The twin FIRs arrive amid heightened political tension around the GMC elections, for which polling concluded on Sunday. This is not the first time Mevani has faced legal action in a politically charged Gujarat context, and the cases are expected to intensify the Congress–BJP contest in the state ahead of further civic and electoral cycles.