The Hindu : Brickbats outside VHP office

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 21, 2002

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Brickbats outside VHP office

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI OCT. 20. Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the All India Mahila Congress today indulged in a bout of stone-pelting at the VHP's office at R.K. Puram in South West Delhi where the Congress women had gathered to protest against the "derogatory remarks'' made by VHP general secretary, Pravin Togadia, against their party president, Sonia Gandhi.

It was at around 1-30 p.m. that about a hundred activists of Mahila Congress assembled near the VHP office. Thereafter they marched in procession raising slogans against Mr. Togadia and denouncing his remarks as an "insult of women and womanhood''.

Led by unit vice-president, Rita Joshi, the women activists also burnt an effigy of Mr. Togadia near the VHP office. All this while the protest remained peaceful and there was no trouble.

But while the women were agitating outside the VHP office, things turned bad. As the women were banging the gates of the building -- which had been closed by the security guards -- some activists of VHP allegedly began using foul language against the women.

As per the Mahila Congress press secretary, Jaya Shukla, the women activists were also targeted with bricks and other material by VHP activists who took up position on the roof of the building. Eyewitnesses said the trouble started when some VHP activists began throwing water on the women from top of the building.

At this the Congress women retaliated by hurling stones at the building. The VHP workers retaliated in kind and being at a vantage point inflicted injuries on about 18 women. The fracas continued for about 20 minutes at the end of which one VHP worker was also hurt.

Dr. Shukla said instead of taking action against the VHP activists, the police personnel kept pushing them back from the site. Though the women retreated, they did not end their protest there. Most of them trooped to the R.K. Puram police station where they lodged a formal complaint against the VHP workers.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West District), Tejinder Luthra, said a case of rioting has been registered against the Congress workers as one VHP worker was seriously injured in the head. But while medical legal cases (MLCs) were also made out for 18 women workers, the police are yet to register a case against the VHP workers.

Meanwhile, in a message, the Mahila Congress said the remarks of Mr. Togadia were in total contravention of the Indian cultural traditions. It further expressed regret at the silence of the leaders of Sangh Parivar on the issue, saying this only highlighted the depth to which their behaviour has plunged.

Asserting that the Parivar has been perturbed by the successive defeats of the Bharatiya Janata Party in all the elections held during the past year, the Mahila Congress expressed confidence that even in Gujarat, the Congress would silence them by emerging victorious.

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