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BJP MLA's son booked for assaulting drivers, making casteist remarks
23 May 2026

Rishi Patel, son of Karjan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Akshay Patel, has been booked for allegedly assaulting two dumper drivers in Gujarat.

The Vadodara District police registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after the drivers accused Rishi and his associates of "brutally beating" them and hurling casteist abuses.

The incident reportedly took place at Rishi's office in Bakapur on May 15.

Rishi accused drivers of stealing diesel
Incident details

The FIR, filed by Natvar Vasava and Girishbhai Vasava, states that Rishi accused the drivers of stealing diesel while transporting sand.

When Natvar denied the allegation, Rishi allegedly assaulted him with an iron pipe and a plastic pipe.

The FIR further alleges that Rishi's associates, identified as Jaydat Bapu, Sahil Patel, Javed Pathan, and Vijay, joined in the assault.

They are accused of tying Natvar upside down with a rope and subjecting him to caste-based abuse.

Drivers shifted to government hospitals for treatment
Medical treatment

Natvar was later shifted to government hospitals in Umalla and Rajpipla for treatment through 108 ambulance services.

The FIR also mentions that the accused abused the drivers for demanding a salary increase and forming a union.

Vadodara Superintendent of Police Sushilkumar Agrawal confirmed that a preliminary inquiry was conducted before lodging the FIR due to contradictory details in the drivers' statements.

Accused yet to be arrested
Legal proceedings

Apart from the Atrocity Act, Rishi and his associates have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons, wrongful confinement, obscene language use, unlawful assembly, and rioting.

However, they are yet to be arrested as they remain "not present" at their addresses, The Indian Express reported.