Police said they are establishing the identities and affiliations of the people involved in the alleged vandalism.
AHMEDABAD: What began as a quiet two-hour reading session in a Vastrapur municipal garden on Thursday evening snowballed into a confrontation, with allegations of vandalism and injuries after a group of 8-10 VHP members allegedly disrupted the gathering. Around 70 people had assembled near the district education office (DEO) for a silent reading to protest a Shilaj school’s decision to drop Malala Yousafzai’s ‘I Am Malala’ and Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ from its reading list following an uproar from parents and right-wing activists. Participants alleged that members of the group confronted them and that 8-10 silent protestors were injured. Alongside their protest against the removal of I Am Malala and The Diary of a Young Girl, participants read 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.
Police said they were establishing the identities and affiliations of those involved in the alleged vandalism and were also verifying the nature of the injuries. Jay Thakkar, who attended the protest, said, “I am concerned about children’s education and critical thinking that should prevail in education. Police said the gathering was allegedly vandalised by a right-wing group. Inspector G M Chaudhary of Vastrapur police said officers were verifying the identities and affiliations of the people who confronted the participants and were also checking the medical reports of those who claimed to have been injured.
An FIR had not been filed till late Thursday. Protest can take many forms. This is a call for all those people who are not okay with the banning of the books.