After 29 years, local court orders closure of infamous ‘Dhotiya Kand’ case against ex-BJP MP A K Patel

The Dhotiya Kand case of 1996, when the dhoti of the then Gujarat minister Atmaram Patel was pulled off outside Sardar Patel Stadium, has finally come to a close after 29 years.

The Ahmedabad sessions court has ordered the withdrawal of the case against former MP Dr Amrutlal Kalidas (A K) Patel, who was the last remaining accused in the case. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge H G Pandya, after the prosecution, filed an application seeking withdrawal of the case.

The case was officially laid to rest.

While allowing the application, the court observed that the incident had occurred during a political rally and was essentially the result of an internal party clash. Nearly 28 years had passed since the event, with the victim Atmaram Patel having passed away, and the sole remaining accused, Dr A K Patel, is now 95 years old and in poor health. Considering these circumstances and the broader public interest, permission to withdraw the case was granted.

The prosecution noted that originally the police had booked 41 accused under various IPC sections, and chargesheets were filed in court. In 2018, the Metropolitan Court had already allowed withdrawal of the case against 39 accused. The case remained only against Dr A K Patel and former Assembly speaker Mangalbhai Madhavdas Patel. With Mangalbhai’s death, his case was abated, leaving only Dr Patel.

Now, with this withdrawal, the Dhotiya Kand case has officially concluded.

What was the ‘Dhotiya Kand’?

BJP had assumed power in Gujarat in 1995 with Keshubhai Patel as chief minister. But internal conflicts were rife – with Shankarsinh Vaghela rebelling against the party that led to the Khajuraho episode, where about 40-45 MLAs were flown to Madhya Pradesh to prevent them from being poached.

After mediation by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Suresh Mehta was made chief minister, but this compromise did not satisfy many within the party or the RSS. During this period, slogans like “Vajpayee ki dhoti 7 crore mein biki” (Vajpayee’s dhoti was sold for 7 crores) were raised.

On May 20, 1996, when Vajpayee had become the prime minister, a felicitation programme was held at Sardar Patel Stadium. During the event, BJP workers created a ruckus, heckled ministers, and manhandled leaders.

When Atmaram Patel attempted to leave the stadium, he was pushed to the ground, beaten, and his dhoti was pulled off in public. He managed to escape only after police intervened.

The incident caused massive political embarrassment for the BJP at the time and went down in Gujarat’s political history as the infamous Dhotiya Kand.