Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and three of his associates were sent to judicial custody after they refused to apply for bail following their arrest in connection with a protest, police said on Wednesday.

Mevani, who has emerged as the face of Dalit protest after the Una cow vigilante incident, and 19 others were arrested by the police for allegedly trying to block a busy road near the Gujarat University in Ahmedabad on Tuesday evening.

They were arrested under Indian Penal Code Sections 143 (unlawful assembly) and 188 (disobeying orders of public servant), said inspector G S Bariya.

"When we produced them before the court late last night, 16 of them agreed to take bail while Mevani, Subodh Parmar, Dixit Parmar and Rakesh Maheria refused to seek bail. So as per the court's order we sent them in judicial custody at Sabarmati Central Jail," said inspector Bariya.

Mevani and other agitators from Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch had gathered outside the University demanding that the under-construction building of its law department be named after Dr B R Ambedkar.