Gujarat AAP leader Gopal Italia arrested, granted bail in defamation case against BJP leaders, workers

Aam Aadmi Party's national joint secretary Gopal Italia was arrested by Surat police in a criminal case registered last year over his remarks against Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil and minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi. The police released the AAP leader on bail as the charges against him were bailable.

Reacting to the arrest of Italia, AAP's national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "BJP is so enraged by the spectacular performance of the AAP in Gujarat that it has now arrested our leader Gopal Italia. Now BJP has only one aim, how to finish the Aam Aadmi Party. These people will put everyone in jail one by one.

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According to police, a BJP worker had filed a complaint against Italia, the former Gujarat president of AAP, over his remarks addressing Sanghavi as "drugs Sanghavi" and Paatil as "ex-bootlegger." Local police officials said that Italia had been summoned at the police station to record his statement. He was formally arrested in the case and was later granted bail.

"Surat's Crime Branch had summoned me for questioning in an old case. Later, they arrested me as per the law. Crime Branch officials told me that someone from BJP had filed a complaint against me. The complainant has said that my remarks on BJP chief Paatil and home minister Sanghavi had hurt the sentiments of BJP leaders. Since the sections against me are bailable, the police released me on bail," Italia told reporters after his release.

Tagging Kejriwal, Italia tweeted, "The BJP leaders would never have thought that a small Aam Aadmi Party would get 40 lakh votes in Gujarat. The rising popularity of AAP has left the BJP enraged and has resorted to hooliganism. We, the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, will always keep on fighting. Jai Hind."

Italia was heading Gujarat as party's president and was replaced by Isudan Gadhvi after Assembly election in which the party opened its account by winning five seats. Currently, he is working for the party in Maharashtra as co-Incharge.

Italia has had several run-ins with the ruling BJP government for the past many years. Last year, he was detained by Delhi police and was taken to the office of National Commission for Women (NCW), where he was summoned in connection with an old video, in which he is purportedly criticized the prime minister Narendra Modi, calling him "neech (lowly)" and using a misogynist cuss word.

Gopalia had served Gujarat police as a constable and later as a revenue clerk at Ahmedabad collectorate. In 2017, his telephone conversation with then deputy chief minister Nitin Patel went viral in which he complained about ineffective liquor prohibition law. He impersonated as a cop while talking to Patel and was later arrested by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch.

In the same year, he was suspended from service after he hurled a shoe at then minister of state for home Pradipsinh Jadeja. He was also part of Patidar agitation for reservation in 2015 with Hardik Patel, now a BJP MLA.