In a reprisal for Aam Aadmi Party leader Prashant Bhushan's statement on holding a referendum on keeping the army in Jammu and Kashmir, around 40 persons from an alleged right wing group attacked the party's office in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and vandalised property.
CNN-IBN reported that around 40 persons carrying flags came to the AAP office in Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh and threw stones at the office while shouting slogans.
The protest lasted almost 15 to 20 minutes and property outside the office was damaged as the AAP volunteers in the office had locked themselves in the building.
A screengrab from the CCTV footage at the AAP office.
Uttar Pradesh police officials said that they had rushed additional forces there and were in the process of examining CCTV footage to identify those who were involved in vandalism. They said no one was injured in the attack.
SSP Dharmendra Singh said, "We have identified some people. There were some residents of Ghaziabad and the numbers of their cars have been noted. Action against them will be initiated soon."
He said there was no security at the party office but policemen have now been deployed there and at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence which is just a kilometre away.
He said they will again take up the issue of security with Kejriwal and try to convince him about that.Earlier, Kejriwal had turned down the security offered to him by Ghaziabad and Delhi Police.
The group involved in the attack reportedly identified themselves as the Hindu Raksha Dal, and said they had attacked the office on account of Bhushan's statements.
"We attacked AAP's office because of Prashant Bhushan's remarks on Kashmir," NDTV quoted a senior functionary of the group as saying.
The Hindu Raksha Dal activists broke flower pots kept outside AAP's office and tore party posters. Some glass doors were also smashed in the attack.
"We today staged a protest against AAP's stand on Kashmir. AAP's leader Prashant Bhushan's remark on Kashmir is very sad for Hindus due to which we have staged protest outside party office," said Pinky Choudhary, national
convenor, Hindu Raksha Dal.
AAP's Kumar Vishwas condemned the attack on its office and said that it was a sign that the BJP was worried over the party's growth in the country.
"Arvind Kejriwal and we have already said that Prashant Bhushan's view is not that of the party," Kumar Vishwas, a senior leader in the party, said.
He also said it was a worrying sign of the BJP's intolerance.
"This is how the BJP works. It is cause for worry. If they come to power they will not allow anyone to speak," Vishwas said.
with inputs from PTI
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