An AAP member who had quit the Gujarat police force almost a decade ago has come down on the ruling BJP in the state over a notification “promoting” him as a head constable.

Gopal Italia, the AAP’s former Gujarat president, had quit as a probationary constable in 2015 to become a clerk in the state government. However, he was sacked after he threw a shoe at the state’s junior home minister, Pradipsinh Jadeja, in 2017 to protest against alleged corruption. Italia is currently a lawyer.

Sharing the notification of promotion on X on Tuesday, Italia posted in Gujarati: “Although I resigned from Gujarat Police in the year 2015, I would like to thank Eighth Pass Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi for promoting me to Head Constable by including my name at number-726 in the promotion list from Constable to Head Constable in the
year 2024.”

BJP minister Sanghavi’s election affidavit lists his educational qualification as Class IX pass.

Ahmedabad police responded with a press note, clarifying: “Gopal Italia has not been promoted as Head Constable.”

The force said: “Through the list… of 887 candidates, information was sought to be sent in 48 hours if any departmental inquiry/criminal case/ACB case is pending against them or not. In those names, names of all constables who joined Ahmedabad Police by January 11, 2012, were to be included and as Shri Gopal Italia joined the police
department in 2012, his name is there in the list.”

In a media conference on Wednesday, Italia punched holes in the police’s claims.

He said: “My point is that I have not been in the police department for the past (almost) 10 years. Why are you asking for my details (of pending inquiries)?... When I resigned, I was not a permanent employee. I never became a full constable. How can I be made a head constable?”

He said many names on the list were currently not working in the police department. “There are four or five people who are employed in the police department but are not constables. They are assistant sub-inspectors or sub-inspectors…. So there has been such gross negligence....”