VHP, Bajrang Dal attack book protesters in Ahmedabad for reading ‘I am Malala’
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
A reading session of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's memoir 'I Am Malala' took a violent turn in Gujarat's Ahmedabad after a group of people, allegedly from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, attacked the participants, police shared on Friday.
Adding to this, File photo of autobiography by Malala Yousafzai, titled 'I am Malala' in a book store (Photo for representation) (AFP photo) Three people have been arrested in connection with the attack that occurred at Vastrapur Garden on Thursday evening, police shared, news agency PTI reported.
Meanwhile, The incident took place when a group of around 70 people had as per reports gathered at the public garden for the reading on Thursday. They were doing a silent book-reading protest against a school dropping ‘I am Malala’ and ‘Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl’ from its reading list following opposition from parents and right-wing activists.
Notably, The protestors read books including “Why I Am An Atheist”, “1984", “Bhima Koregaon: Our War Cry”, There’s Gunpowder in the Air” and The Meat of the Matter: How Politics of Food Shapes Our Health", The Times of India reported.
As per the latest buzz, However, they were allegedly confronted by an armed group of 18 to 20 individuals, claiming to be from the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), over their choice of book.
In further updates, Vastrapur police station Inspector GM Chaudhary shared that when the readers were leaving the garden after the session, around 18 to 20 people, claiming to be from the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), arrived at the site and angrily demanded to know why they had read Yousufzai's memoir, "I am Malala".
On top of that, The altercation escalated, leading to a scuffle in which two people were injured. The attackers were armed with sticks, the official was quoted as saying.
"An FIR has been registered, and two of the accused were known to the victims. Apart from them, six individuals have been identified, and three have already been arrested," she was quoted as saying.
Source: Hindustan Times