During our society meetings, we used to discuss the development of our society, but unfortunately, there was not enough concern to protect it. In 1985, I opened my clinic at Nakhtrana and witnessed the pitiful situation of our brothers in Kutch. Many people had left Kutch, and those who remained were often cheated by those of other communities through false cases and robbed of their money. Unfortunately, at that time, we were not politically capable, and we lacked a leader to rally against these people. We were afraid of the police and officials and some political men who controlled them. They would raise false cases against our people, demand money to settle the cases and show the fear of going to jail. We did not have the courage to fight against our sisters and daughters. If any government department, such as the police, Talati, or Revenue, committed any wrongdoing, we did not have the dignity or courage to stop it.

During a time of extreme poverty and social turmoil, a common insult in the Kutch language was “Tu muke kanbi samge to kuro?” which roughly translates to “Do you think I’m a scumbag?” The situation was so dire that even if two communities were in conflict, the youth were compelled to fight alongside the hoodlums and organize against the oppressive circumstances.

In one incident, certain political leaders of a different community contacted the CBI and cheated Officer Bani Sukhpar’s (Virani’s) father out of a large sum of money. Officer Sukhpar held a meeting regarding this matter with people who came from abroad, during which they ruled out the possibility of his father’s suspicious death. In another case, people took possession of our brothers’ cornfield by obtaining a legal stay from the court. However, our boys managed to gather the crops in just one night and returned them to our brothers.

To combat the daily incidents we faced, a group of young individuals formed an organization called “Patidar Yuva Kranti Dal”. As time went on, thousands of youths from various villages joined our cause. Our organization did not have a constitution or designated office bearers, only one president was elected annually. The advisory committee was responsible for making most decisions. Rameshbhai Kanjiani Veerani Wala was the first president of the party. Sanjaybhai Trikambhai Patel, a skilled lawyer, was also included as a founding member and helped us navigate the legal system and bureaucracy.

All members of the Kranti Dal were not interested in obtaining fame or positions. Any member was capable of performing a task, but the success would be attributed to the Kranti Dal as a whole. Our approach was to discuss all tasks in-depth with one of our think tanks before taking any action. Based on their strategy, another team would execute the attack, while a third team would handle the court office, or vice versa. Additionally, the fourth team was responsible for assembling a large crowd when a show of strength was necessary.

The Kranti Dal was established with a specific goal in mind – to awaken and empower the youth, and to eliminate any feelings of inferiority that they may have had. We aimed to eradicate the negative influences that had been instilled in them by the police, rogue elements, politicians, talati and officials. Despite our financial poverty and lack of political support, we followed the Shiv Sena’s principle of “wrongdoers fear the wrath of the righteous”. At the time, we did not possess any cars or other luxuries that could be used for intimidation.

The youth began to develop courage to fight against various issues while fear set in among hostile elements. The Kranti Dal successfully fought many battles against anti-social groups with the help of Ma Umiya. The true nature of these battles is such that each one could be a book in itself. Therefore, we will briefly mention some of the cases as a glimpse into the activities of the Kranti Dal.

• The editor of “Patidar Saurabh”, Mr. C., wrote about a gang of cheaters who were stealing from the Patels. K. Patel’s article titled “Martimar Tolaki” was published in Kutch Mitra Dainik, which resulted in him being harassed by these individuals. However, Kranti Dal stood by his side and fought with him.

• I had a disagreement with a journalist, which escalated and led to the arrest of fifteen of our friends. We submitted an affidavit from three farmers to the Revenue Minister, which revealed that the police officer responsible for our arrest had a history of unlawfully detaining farmers’ tractors and demanding large sums of money as extortion, resulting in his suspension.

• A departmental inquiry was launched against two writers who were suspended after being falsely accused and beaten by police officers.

• To punish those who were harassing our sons and daughters in Devpar, one man was penalized by being given Methipak (fenugreek), and another was tied to a tree. Similarly, in Aiyyar, a man harassing sisters and daughters had his head shaved and was paraded on a donkey as a punishment.

• Another community brother from Dhavada had an atrocity case filed against him and was arrested the day before his wedding. The Kranti Dal team took action as soon as they found out about the case and ensured that it got closed on the very same day.

• After falsely raiding the house of former Taluka Panchayat President Ravjibhai, Nakhtrana declared a bandh and released him.

• The Kishan leaders who were arrested in the Tada case involving the Demolition of the Deshlapar railway track held a public meeting in Nakhtrana with the then Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel and were acquitted.

• Our youth chased away some anti-social elements in a bike rally.

• Our boys were booked for a case where they had broken the ribs of a teacher who was eve-teasing and molesting female students at school.

• When we handed over the tractor tape thief to the police at Kotda, they instead arrested and charged our brother with the crime.

• Vacated an area held by Muslims at Kotda and handed it over to Mangalbhai Khetani.

• Vacated the plot illegally occupied by bootleggers of Punewala in Ukheda released.

• Rescued a daughter of Nagalpar from the goons of Bhuj’s Rajgor society in many cases of runaway marriage. A daughter of Meghpar was rescued and brought back from the jungles of Panchmahal. Rescued Nakhtrana’s daughter, who had eloped with a Punjabi. Similar cases of Sanyara-Rampar etc., where some community daughters were beaten were rescued and brought back. The fear of the revolution was such that the cases of runaway marriages almost stopped happening.

We resolved several divorce cases despite societal disbelief. As the former president of the society, I settled one case upon request from Khimji Lakmashi. In another case, a father and daughter made an appeal for justice on the society’s community conference stage. We promised to settle the case within a month, and we kept that promise, ensuring the ongoing success of the convention.

In appreciation of all these activities, in the convention of the society at that time, the society allocated two hours of stage time to the Kranti Dal and appreciated the Kranti Dal as the fourth wing of the society. Along with all these activities, they became active in both parties in politics and defeated some anti-social politicians. Since no political party was giving Assembly tickets to Patels,  we fought independently in Abdasa and Mandvi. As a result of which some of our brothers in Kutch have been fighting for the assembly till today.

In the meantime, our political reach had increased to such an extent that at Nakhtrana, we had our choice of Deputy Collectors, Mamlatdars, or DYSPs. As a result of which, our brothers used to go to these officers themselves. Many brothers from our group received government jobs and got the Samajwadi land. Many of our officers helped and encouraged us in all these activities.

Thanks for the request. Here’s the revised text:

Thanks to the Kranti Dal, the younger generation is now ready. We’ve accomplished our goal of making society aware and fearless. However, some people may not approve of our activities, and our reputation is somewhat controversial. To avoid such issues in the future and to ensure everyone’s financial well-being, my friends and I decided to put the Patidar Yuva Dal on hold.

The force may be dormant, but we are all actively ready on our toes to stand by society in a time of need. This vigor could be seen during the arrest of Rameshbhai Waghdia a few years ago and in every subsequent incident. We hope that the fire stays lit and that in the future, the new Kranti Dal, Yuva Sangh and Navchetan Group will work towards securing the society.