Hardik Patel in Surat police's custody for sedition charges

Patel allegedly asking a youth to kill cops instead of committing suicide attracted section 124 A of IPC against him

Surat police on Monday took Hardik Patel, face of the Patidar agitation in Gujarat, into custody under charges of sedition for his remarks to "kill policemen".

The move comes after an overnight detention the 22-year-old Patidar agitation leader by the Rajkot police ahead of the India-South Africa one day international (ODI) cricket match on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Patel, during his visit to Surat, had met a Patidar youth who had threatened to commit suicide demanding reservation for Patidars.

However, while interacting with the youth in the presence of media, Patel had allegedly advised him to "kill 2-5 policemen instead of committing suicide". The sedition charge was filed based on media footage that showed Patel telling the youth "If you have so much in you, better kill 2-5 policemen. Patels don't die."

Surat police had rushed to take custody of Patel in Rajkot where he was being produced in a local court for his attempts to disrupt the cricket match proceedings. Patel's lawyer, B M Mangukiya, however, on Monday filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking cancellation of the sedition complaint against him.

Earlier on Sunday, the Rajkot district administration also suspended mobile Internet services in the city as a precautionary measure ahead of his detention which saw isolated incidents of vandalism and blocking of highways in parts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat. So far, Patel has been booked under several sections under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 124 that deals in sedition.