An INDIA bloc protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took an unexpected turn in Delhi on Thursday when a Srinagar man chanting in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was surrounded and hit by people in the crowd.
Faheem Nazir later said he had come to question Rahul Gandhi and denied abusing the Congress leader before the confrontation began.
The incident took place around the Opposition’s gathering in Connaught Place, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had invited INDIA bloc MPs for lunch at Moets before another round of protests over the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Nazir denied claims that he had abused Rahul Gandhi. It is my responsibility not to let the country become Nepal and Bangladesh. Reports from the scene attributed the assault to Congress supporters. There was no immediate detailed statement from Congress addressing Nazir’s allegation or identifying the people seen hitting him in the video.
Because he had raised slogans for Modi, the BJP targeted Congress over the incident, accusing its workers of attacking Nazir.
Nazir identified himself as a resident of Srinagar and said he was a supporter of the Prime Minister, with no formal link to the BJP. He alleged that his poster was torn and that he was assaulted after he tried to challenge Congress supporters over their allegations concerning elections and “vote theft”. He challenged those accusing him of using abusive language to produce a video and said he would apologise if such footage existed. Speaking to reporters after the clash, Nazir became emotional and said in Hindi, “There are conspiracies to turn the country into Nepal and Bangladesh.
