New Delhi: CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury was roughed up by two youth at a press conference here on Wednesday.
The two who belong to Hindu Sena were handed over to police.
Enraged members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist pounced on them and thrashed them before handing over the pair to police.
Yechury, who was addressing a press conference on the violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur where five protesting farmers were killed in alleged police firing, described the attack on him as an attempt by the RSS “to silence the voices of dissent”.“We will not be cowed down by Sangh goondagardi to silence us.
This is a battle for the soul of India, which we will win,” he tweeted.
Upendra Kumar and Pawan Kaul were taken at Mandir Marg Police station after the incident.
The Hindu Sena activists entered the CPM office premises in Gole Market area of central Delhi while chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and slogans against him, a police official said.
Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta said that their two party workers were detained by police “for staging a peaceful protest against CPM for their article against the Indian Army” and had done “nothing” but only demanded the party apologise.
Meanwhile, Top Kerala CPI-M leaders strongly condemned the attack on Sitaram Yechury that took place inside their national party office in New Delhi by two suspected right-wing activists on Wednesday evening.
As soon as the Communist Party of India-Marxist workers came to know of the incident, they started preparing to take out protest marches across the state.
According to the party, the incident occurred just before Yechury was to address the press meet after the two-day meeting of the CPI-M politburo.
Around 4.00 pm, Yechury was about to enter the party’s press conference hall when two people shouting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” rushed menacingly towards Yechury. But the staff of the party office quickly intervened and rescued Yechury.
The Delhi Police took away the attackers, who also tried to damage the office furniture in the office.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in Delhi, in his Facebook page strongly condemned the attack on Yechury.
“It amounts to an attack on Indian democracy,” said Vijayan.
State Finance Minister Thomas Issac told the media here this was probably the first of its kind incident where a national leader was attacked inside the national office of a national party. — IANS
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