5 days ago
Ahmedabad Reading Circle Attack Centers on Malala Book
Students, teachers, and other people gathered in an Ahmedabad park to read books quietly.
Some people became angry because the group was reading I Am Malala.
They also questioned the book’s author about her views on Kashmir.
The argument reportedly became a physical fight involving sticks, bats, and metal rods.
Several readers and one policeman were allegedly hurt.
Police took seven participants to a station to protect them from the crowd.
Three people were arrested but later released on bail that night.
The reading group said it was holding the event because a school had removed two books after protests.
The Bajrang Dal said its members challenged the readers, but the organizers said they were ordinary citizens, not a political group.
A reading circle at Ahmedabad’s AUDA Garden turned violent after participants were confronted over I Am Malala.
Participants alleged that Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal members attacked six or seven people and a policeman.
The gathering followed protests that led Anand Niketan School Shilaj to remove I Am Malala and Anne Frank’s diary from its reading list.
Three people were arrested, then released on bail the same night, while injured participants filed a police complaint.
Bajrang Dal Gujarat said its members confronted the group, while organizers denied claims that the event was politically organized.
- Who
- The Student and Youth Collective, Ahmedabad, organized the reading circle; participants said members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal confronted them.
- What
- A silent reading gathering reportedly turned into a violent confrontation over I Am Malala and the group’s alleged political and religious views.
- Where
- AUDA Garden in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, followed by events at Vastrapur police station and a civil hospital.
- When
- The incident occurred on a Thursday evening; the school controversy began on 11 August, according to the report.
- Why
- The reading circle was organized after Anand Niketan School Shilaj removed I Am Malala and Anne Frank’s diary from its extracurricular reading list following protests; the confronting group objected to I Am Malala.
Reading Circle Participants
Bajrang Dal Gujarat Account
Nature of the event
Reading Circle Participants
SYCA members said the gathering was a quiet, nonpolitical reading circle attended by students, professionals, teachers, and others.
Bajrang Dal Gujarat Account
The Bajrang Dal Gujarat account described those gathered as Congress leaders and members of the so-called “Crococh Janata Party.” Organizers denied those affiliations.
Objection to the book
Reading Circle Participants
Participants said the group objected to I Am Malala, questioned Malala Yousafzai’s views on Kashmir, and accused readers of supporting an anti-national or Islamic agenda.
Bajrang Dal Gujarat Account
Bajrang Dal Gujarat said its members first tried to explain their objection to the book and then used what it called “Bajrangi language” when their objections were not accepted.
What happened next
Reading Circle Participants
Participants alleged that those confronting them dragged and beat readers with wooden sticks, baseball bats, and metal rods, and also struck a policeman.
Bajrang Dal Gujarat Account
The available account from Bajrang Dal Gujarat describes a confrontation but does not provide an independently verified account disputing the participants’ allegations of violence.
Key facts
- Organizer
- Student and Youth Collective, Ahmedabad (SYCA)
- Location
- AUDA Garden, Ahmedabad
- Books at issue
- I Am Malala and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl
- Reported injuries
- Six or seven reading-circle participants, including two women, and a policeman were allegedly assaulted.
- Police action
- Seven participants were taken to Vastrapur police station for protection, according to organizers.
- Arrests
- Three people were arrested and released on bail the same night.
- School decision
- Anand Niketan School Shilaj removed the two books from its extracurricular reading list and ended consultant Munazza Shums’s services.
Quotes
Swati Goswami
Student and Youth Collective member who attended the reading circle
“This is a safety issue. This is not a political issue. Just some people quietly sitting in a park and reading. They were about to leave and double the number of people who come and do this.”
theprint.in
“There was no gathering or speech or anything of that sort. People came, they picked up a book, and they sat in the park, silently.”
theprint.in
Sources
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