Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was on Thursday attacked with a slipper, while delivering a speech at a function held at Congress Nagar in Nagpur, where he came down heavily on the RSS saying that Sangh headquarters was not Parliament nor Manu-smriti was a Constitution.
The incident happened when Kanhaiya was in the midst of his speech at a function organised by the Progressive Students’ Youth Action Committee on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of late BR Ambedkar
“Nagpur is not Sangh-boomi but deeksha-bhoomi…Nagpur is Ambedkar’s land not Golvalkar’s….Sangh headquarters is not Parliament and manu-smriti is not Constitution,” Kanhaiya said.
During the function, one ABVP activists identified as Haridas Shinde hurled a slipper at Kanhaiya, but missed the target. Shinde was beaten up by activists attending Kanhaiya’s public meeting and handed over to the police.
After Kanhaiya arrived at the venue, several members of Bajrang Dal activists shouted slogans like “Kanhaiya Kumar Murdabad”, “Kanhaiya Triator, Go Away”.
The activists also tried to disrupt Kanhaiya’s speech. After he hit out at the RSS, there was commotion in the auditorium, where Bajrang Dal and ABVP activists started shouted at him in their bid to disrupt his speech. At one stage, the detractors of Kanhaiya were seen rushing towards the stage.
The police intervened and detained 19 youngsters belonging to Bhajrang Dal and ABVP. Around this time, Shinde hurled a slipper at Kanhaiya. The slipper missed the target.
Undeterred, Kanhaiya asked, “What kind of display of patriotism is thisIJ Throwing slippers at the speakerIJ
Earlier in the day, when Kanhaiya was received by Rashtrawadi Youth Congress leader Salil Deshmukh and NCP MlC Prakash Gajbhiye, some Bajrang Dal activists hurled stones at his car near
the airport.
In his speech delivered later in the day, Kanhaiya said that such “undemocratic and intolerant” incidents did not deter him. “You can’t scare me by throwing stones and slippers at me,” he said.