Ahmedabad6 hours agoAuthor: Aziz Cutleriwala
A dispute that began after Anand Niketan School, Shilaj, faced action over a food safety issue and subsequently the reading of Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, escalated into violence in Ahmedabad on 27 August.
A group gathered at Vastrapur’s AUDA garden to conduct a reading session of various materials including Malala’s and Anne Frank’s, claimed that their peaceful silent reading session was attacked by a mob claiming affiliation with the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Violent confrontation between participants and the right wing outfit members
A collective said around 50 students, lawyers, media professionals and others had gathered around 4 pm to read the books. At around 6.30 pm, 30-40 men wearing saffron scarves allegedly entered the park carrying wooden and iron sticks, bats and other objects. The group led by Hiren Rabari, questioned the participants over reading Malala’s book before violence broke out.
Participants allegedly assaulted
According to the statement and complaint filed at Vastrapur Police Station, participants Jay, Sneh, Savan and Shashi were assaulted with sticks, bats, punches and kicks. Women present there were allegedly pulled by hair, and slapped. A girl named Aadhya, who was recording the incident, claimed that she was threatened with being “made to disappear” if she did not stop filming.
Participants who suffered injuries
The complaint states that police arrived after participants called the control room and took them to Vastrapur Police Station. Some injured participants subsequently received outpatient treatment at Sola Civil Hospital. The complaint names Hiren Rabari and states that participants later learned that Jimit Rabari was also among the group. Several accused have since secured bail in connection with the case.
Books displayed out which were read in the evening
Political support to those attacked
AAP’s Dr Karan Barot condemned the incident, alleging that Bajrang Dal and VHP members compromised the safety of peaceful participants. He said the party’s team provided legal support at the police station and sought strict action.
The Bajrang Dal, however, claimed on social media that it stopped a gathering to read what it called “anti-national” literature by Malala and said it would not allow “anti-India forces” to be propagated.
It claimed its members initially attempted to converse with the readers before resorting to what it described as “Bajrangi” methods.
The incident has thus widened the original controversy from a school-level food safety and reading-material dispute into a broader and violent confrontation.
