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| Hardik Patel came into prominence last year when he led huge protests demanding quotas in government jobs for his community |
Firebrand young Indian caste leader
Hardik Patel, who was arrested and charged with sedition, has been freed
after nearly nine months in jail.
He was arrested after footage appeared to show him telling supporters to "kill policemen rather than commit suicide". He said the video was doctored. The Gujarat High Court bailed him last week in two sedition cases filed by the police in Ahmedabad and Surat cities.
Under the terms of the bail, Patel has to remain outside of Gujarat for six months.
Hardik Patel - face of Gujarat caste protests
Relatively unknown outside Gujarat, Patel came into prominence last year when he led the protests, demanding quotas for Patels, despite their relative prosperity.
Patel was arrested last October after police in Gujarat's largest city Ahmedabad accused him of inciting his supporters to resort to violence after the Patel community's massive rally in the city in August. Eight people were killed in the protests and the army was deployed to maintain peace.
He was later charged with sedition after video footage emerged showing him talking to a local youth, Vipul Desai, who had announced that he would kill himself in support of the protests.
"If you have so much courage... then go and kill a couple of policemen. Patels never commit suicide," The Times of India quoted Mr Patel as saying in the video.
Patel said he had been "misinterpreted" and that the recording was "doctored", but the Gujarat police said it was genuine and filed a case against him.