Nobel laureate Malala’s book sparks political clash in Gujarat; 20 booked

AHMEDABAD: The controversy over Malala Yousafzai’s book has now spilt from a school classroom onto Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city’s streets, with a public reading event triggering a face-off between Bajrang Dal workers and activists linked to the CJP (Cockroach Janta Party) and Congress.

The confrontation at Ahmedabad’s Bodakdev Government Garden allegedly turned violent, following which Vastrapur Police registered a case against 20 people and launched an investigation.

The latest flashpoint comes days after a controversy erupted over students reading Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai’s book at Anand Niketan School in Ahmedabad.

On August 27, the CJP and Congress workers reportedly gathered at Bodakdev Government Garden to read the same book. Bajrang Dal workers reached the garden and staged a protest against the event.

At the venue, they confronted people associated with the CJP and Congress spokesperson Parthivraj Kathwadia, setting off a heated verbal exchange.

The argument soon escalated, with allegations that a few Bajrang Dal workers assaulted CJP and Congress-linked workers present at the garden.

As tension mounted, a team from Vastrapur Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Defending Bajrang Dal’s protest, its leader Jwalit Mehta linked the latest clash to the earlier controversy at Anand Niketan School.

“A few days ago, children at a school in Ahmedabad were asked to read a book written by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. We approached the school management and told them that, despite being a Nobel laureate, Malala’s stand on the Kashmir issue is unacceptable to us. We objected to the book being introduced for students, and the school administration subsequently agreed to stop it,” Mehta told the media.

He further alleged that the decision was opposed by Congress and CJP-linked activists, who then decided to organise a public reading of the book.

“After that, Congress and CJP-linked people called upon parents and others to gather in the garden and read Malala’s book. They also said they would demand that the book be introduced in every school. When we learnt about this, Bajrang Dal workers also reached the spot to oppose and explain our position,” he said.

“We were explaining why we opposed the book when the national anthem was played. We believe that the national anthem was disrespected, and Bajrang Dal workers strongly objected to it. Tensions then escalated, and a clash broke out between the two groups,” Mehta alleged.

With both sides standing firm over the Malala book controversy, what began as a dispute over reading material in an Ahmedabad school has now transformed into a full-blown political and ideological flashpoint.