AHMEDABAD: The ghost of Gujarat’s fiery Patidar reservation movement has returned to haunt BJP MLA Hardik Patel. An Ahmedabad rural court on Wednesday issued a arrest warrant against Patel and two others for their alleged role in a 2018 riot case.
The action comes after repeated court absences, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash between law, politics, and community sentiment in Gujarat.
The case traces back to August 2018, when Hardik, then the face of the Patidar quota stir, went on an indefinite fast demanding reservation for his community.
What began as a peaceful protest spiraled into violence in Ahmedabad’s Nikol area, leaving public property damaged and police battling enraged supporters.
Hardik and his aides were booked for rioting, inciting violence, and destruction of public assets.
The case has been dragging on in court. Hardik repeatedly failed to appear for hearings. Enraged by his continued absence, the court ordered his immediate arrest.
The Ahmedabad Rural Police has swung into action, preparing teams to track down and detain all three accused involved in the case.
This isn’t Hardik’s first brush with the law. Multiple warrants were issued against him over the years. In 2020, he was arrested and jailed in another agitation-related case, while in 2023, a Surendranagar court issued a separate warrant. Though the state government withdrew several sedition cases against him in 2022, this particular riot case remained unresolved leading to the court issuing him arrest warrant.
Hardik Patel’s rise itself is a story of defiance and disruption. He burst onto Gujarat’s political scene in 2015, leading the Patidar reservation agitation, a movement that shook the state with massive rallies, fiery speeches, and violent clashes. The protests left over 10 people dead and hundreds injured as police and demonstrators clashed across Gujarat.
Riding this wave of public anger, Hardik became a youth icon and a key political player. He joined the Congress in 2017, later jumping ship to the BJP in 2022, and went on to win from the Viramgam constituency. His switch to the ruling party was seen as both a strategic move and a gamble.
Now, with this latest warrant, his political fortunes hang in the balance. The Patidar community itself appears divided, some allege political vendetta, claiming the action is aimed at silencing a once-rebellious voice now integrated into the BJP, while others insist the law is finally catching up with past violence.
As police teams gear up to arrest him, Hardik has been formally notified of the warrant, but there was no immediate reaction from Hardik Patel.