Armed group attacks participants at ‘I Am Malala’ reading session in Ahmedabad

Three people have been arrested after participants at a reading session of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s memoir, I Am Malala, were attacked at a public garden in Ahmedabad, police said on Friday.

The incident took place at Vastrapur Garden on Thursday evening, leaving two people injured.

Vastrapur police station inspector G.M. Chaudhary said nearly 20 people, including women, had gathered at the garden to read and discuss the memoir.

As the participants were leaving after the session, a group of around 18 to 20 people arrived and confronted them over their choice of book. The individuals claimed to be associated with the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, according to police.

An argument broke out and escalated into a scuffle. Police said members of the attacking group were carrying sticks and that two participants suffered injuries.

An FIR has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to rioting, unlawful assembly and voluntarily causing hurt.

Police said two of the alleged attackers were known to the victims. Six suspects have been identified so far, of whom three have been arrested. Efforts are under way to identify and trace the others involved.

The claimed affiliations of the attackers have not been independently confirmed.

The incident comes weeks after a private school in Ahmedabad removed books by Yousafzai and Holocaust survivor Anne Frank from its mandatory reading list following protests by right-wing groups.

With IANS inputs