In an unsavoury incident, a group of people on Sunday attacked the headquarters of CPI(M) at Gole Market. The attack, they claimed, was an outcome of the row over an event that happened on the JNU campus on Tuesday evening against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The Delhi Police has detained a youth for questioning who was one of the three persons who had tried to vandalise the CPI(M) office. He belongs to a group called Aam Aadmi Sena, police said.
“Three youths came to the office of CPI(M) where they sprayed black ink on the wall of the office building. While, two of them managed to flee, one was held by CPI(M) workers and handed over to police,” DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.
“The youth, identified as Sushant Khosla, told police that he is a member of the Aam Aadmi Sena. We have initiated legal action in connection with the matter and investigation has been taken up,” he added.
Confirming the attack, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said “they tried to write slogans like Pakistan Zindabad at our office board. They were pursued by our comrades and one of them was caught and handed over to the police.”
“We condemn this attack. The RSS which venerates the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi, is now branding the most secular democratic force, the CPI(M), as anti-national. We do not need certificates of patriotism from the murderers of Gandhi. We will meet this challenge politically,” he said.
CPI(M) sources said the youths threw stones and shouted slogans like ‘CPI(M) Desh Chhodo’ (CPI-M quit the country). CPI national secretary D Raja strongly condemned the attack on the CPI(M) office and said “the Sangh Parivar cannot subvert our democratic political system and the constitutional arrangement of our polity.”
“If they have anything to argue, they can argue but they should not resort to such cowardly and uncivilised attacks,” Raja said.