Surat:
Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Italia flogged himself at a public meeting in Gujarat’s Surat today for failing to ensure justice for the “innocent daughter of Amreli”.
In a video, he was seen seeking forgiveness, pulling out the belt from his trousers and hitting himself with it even as leaders on the stage rushed to stop him.
“Gujarat has witnessed many incidents such as Morbi suspension bridge collapse, Vadodara boat capsize case, different hooch tragedies, fire incidents and government recruitment exam paper leak cases, but I have been unable to ensure justice to the victims,” Mr Italia said before flogging himself.
Later, the AAP leader released a video statement in which he said he and other AAP leaders have been fighting to provide justice to many victims but in vain.
“Today, when I was speaking on the Amreli incident, I was very shocked and thought how is it possible that no one gets justice in Gujarat,” he said adding that he hoped his act would awaken the “sleeping soul of the people”.
The woman from Amreli was arrested for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to defame a BJP MLA. She was granted bail by a local court on Friday. However, the case drew ire from opposition leaders after a video showed her being paraded by police.
The 25-year-old was among four persons arrested on December 29 for allegedly trying to defame BJP MLA Kaushik Vekariya on social media. She was granted regular bail by Amreli sessions court judge Rizwana Bukhari after the prosecution did not object to her petition.
Mr Italia had earlier said the BJP government “shields scamsters” but punishes a woman who was just doing her job.
(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)
