The Palanpur police on Wednesday detained Congress leader Hardik Patel and two other lawmakers on their way to meet sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is in Palanpur jail after being convicted in a custodial death case. Bhatt was handed life sentences in June in connection with the incident which happened in 1990 when he was posted as the additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar. Superintendent of police Niraj Badgujar said that the leaders and their supporters were detained as a precautionary measure. The other two MLAs Mahesh Patel and Kirit Patel of Palanpur and Patan respectively were also detained along with Patel. Police said Sanjiv Bhatt's wife Shweta had also accompanied along with those who were detained, however, she was allowed to meet her husband. Earlier Shweta Bhatt and several other women had said that they would go to meet the jailed officer and tie him a rakhi on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. A social media campaign had also been launched in support of Bhatt and it had sought rakhis from supporters for the jailed officer. Sessions court judge DM Vyas on June 20 had convicted the former top cop, as well as a constable Pravinsinh Zala, for murder and pronounced life sentence. The court had also convicted five other police personnel in the case—sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsinh Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva, and Keshu Jadeja. All five were sentenced to two years in prison.

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