Pappu Yadav attacked with slipper during press meet over Ram temple donation skit
A slipper was allegedly hurled at Independent MP Pappu Yadav during a press conference at his residence on Sunday as he defended a controversial skit staged during a protest over alleged theft of donations to the Ram temple.
The incident sparked a scuffle between Yadav's supporters and the alleged attacker, who confronted the Bihar MP over the skit and accused him of insulting Lord Ram.
Yadav said he would not be intimidated by the incident, which he described as an "attempt on his life".
The incident came amid mounting criticism of Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad over the skit staged during a protest in the Parliament complex on Friday. An FIR was registered in Varanasi against the three leaders for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
According to police sources, the alleged attacker was identified as 34-year-old Sumit, a native of Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr who works in an iron fabrication business in Ghaziabad. He has no previous criminal record, they said.
Police sources said another man, identified as Happy Sharma, was in an SUV parked outside Yadav's residence when the incident took place.
The two men told investigators they were Sanatanis, were not associated with any political party and had been assaulted by Yadav's supporters. They may file a complaint against the MP and his associates, the sources said.
Police are verifying their claims and investigating the motive behind the incident. No FIR has been registered so far.
Sources close to Yadav, however, claimed that the two men had posed as journalists and alleged that a knife was recovered from one of them. They said both men were later handed over to police.
During the protest in Parliament, MPs including Gandhi put money into donation boxes, while Yadav, dressed in saffron, put money into his pockets as part of a skit symbolising alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple. The act drew criticism from seers and Hindu groups, who accused the leaders of insulting Sanatan Dharma.
Defending the skit at Sunday's press conference, Yadav said he had done nothing wrong and questioned whether saffron was the monopoly of the RSS.
"Saffron is part of our culture. Sanatan is the way of life for us," he said, claiming that his protest was aimed at protecting Sanatan.
The alleged attacker then questioned Yadav over the skit, accused him of insulting Lord Ram and hurled a slipper at him before being restrained by the MP's supporters.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Yadav said he would not be cowed down.
"He attacked me in front of all you people. I was attacked, students were attacked. What is Pappu Yadav's crime? Is it my mistake or that of (former temple trust general secretary) Champat Rai? They have stolen donations," he said.
"Those who want to kill me can do so; I will not be scared," he added.
The BJP accused Gandhi and Yadav of hurting Hindu sentiments and demanded that they publicly apologise. RSS affiliate Vishva Hindu Parishad also criticised the leaders over the protest.
Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera criticised the Delhi Police, alleging that the incident exposed a security lapse.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the incident and demanded an investigation, alleging that the attack reflected a serious security failure.
"The BJP is unable to stomach the popularity of the beloved MP Shri Pappu Yadav ji," Akhilesh said, urging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take cognisance of the matter.
(Inputs from PTI)
