Northeast Delhi witnessed a shocking incident on Friday evening when Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly attacked by two men as he was leaving a meeting at the Aam Aadmi Party’s New Usmanpur office. The assailants, one of whom slapped Kumar and the other threw black ink at him, disrupted what had been a routine political gathering with AAP councillors and supporters.
According to the Congress and Kumar’s office, the attackers are believed to be affiliated with the BJP and closely associated with Northeast Delhi’s sitting MP and BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari. However, Tiwari’s office vehemently denied these allegations, accusing the Congress of spreading false rumors.
The incident unfolded as Kumar, accompanied by a crowd of AAP and Congress workers, was being escorted out. Purported videos of the attack show a man with a long beard and dressed in a black shirt approaching Kumar with a garland and a packet of rose petals. As he raised slogans of “Kanhaiya bhaiya zindabad,” he suddenly threw ink at Kumar, while another man simultaneously slapped the Congress leader. Kumar’s supporters quickly surrounded the attackers, retaliating against them. A personal security officer appointed by Delhi Police was also present at the scene.
One of the accused, identified as Daksh Chaudhary, released a video after the incident, claiming responsibility. In the video, Chaudhary said, “The slogans that Kanhaiya Kumar raised – ‘India will be broken into pieces, Afzal, we are ashamed, your killers are alive,’ both of us have responded to him with slaps.” Chaudhary further declared that as long as followers of Sanatan Dharma are alive, no one can break India. Another person with Chaudhary threatened that they would not allow Kumar to enter Delhi.
Chhaya Sharma, an AAP councillor from Brahmpuri who hosted the meeting with Kumar, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, alleging that the attacker was seen sitting next to Manoj Tiwari in a previous meeting. She claimed that when she intervened to protect Kumar, the assailants manhandled and threatened to kill her and her husband.
DCP (Northeast) Joy Tirkey stated that action is being taken based on Sharma’s complaint. “It was found that… when Chhaya Sharma came down to see off Kanhaiya Kumar, some persons came and put a garland around… Kumar. After garlanding him, some persons threw ink and tried to assault him. When Chhaya Sharma tried to intervene, they misbehaved and threatened her,” he said.
In response to the attack, Kanhaiya Kumar’s office identified the attackers as BJP supporters. Kumar condemned the incident, saying, “There is a limit that must not be crossed, even when it comes to politics; you cannot attack a woman due to your political affiliations. I condemn this incident… we have voted for you (Tiwari) twice then you must uphold dignity in your position. If I have committed a felony, then you must arrest me but circulating fake videos and sending goons is not done.”
Addressing a gathering later, Kumar asserted, “You can try to stop me as much as you like, but I have the blood of freedom fighters running through my veins. When we are not scared of the British, there is no way we are going to be threatened by these people… They think people will just continue suffering their injustices, but the people are now going to answer them. They send their goons, attack women, and then talk about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.’”
This incident has further ignited political tensions in the region, with the Congress party continuously targeting the BJP. Congress leaders claim that the attackers have been seen with BJP leaders and activists in the past.
The attack on Kanhaiya Kumar has raised concerns about the increasing use of violence and intimidation in political campaigns, highlighting the need for stringent measures to ensure the safety and dignity of all political candidates.