Ahmedabad, August 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Gujarat unit of the Congress has condemned the alleged assault on participants at a book-reading session in Ahmedabad’s Vastrapur area and called for protection of the right to read, discuss ideas and express views peacefully in public spaces.
The reaction came a day after police arrested three people and booked around 20 others in connection with violence that broke out during the reading session at AUDA Garden on August 27.
Police said the identities of six people had so far been established through CCTV footage and that the investigation was continuing.
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee media convener and spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi criticised the alleged confrontation involving people linked to the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). He said the incident went beyond a law-and-order matter and raised questions about freedom of thought and expression.
“Reading a book is not a crime, thinking is not a crime and asking questions is not sedition. Disagreements in a democracy should be addressed through discussion,” Doshi said.
He added that differences over ideas should be settled through dialogue rather than violence.
“A book should be answered with a book, an idea with an idea and a difference of opinion with discussion, not with sticks and mob rule,” he said.
Referring to Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, Doshi demanded that citizens’ right to read, discuss and express their views peacefully in public places be protected.
He also alleged that the ideology associated with the RSS-BJP was being used for what he described as “ideological policing”, arguing that attempts to prevent people from reading could ultimately discourage them from questioning authority.
What Happened at the Reading Session?
The August 27 gathering was organised after a controversy at a local school over books by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank. The school had removed I Am Malala and The Diary of a Young Girl from its compulsory reading list following protests by right-wing groups, subsequently making the books optional.
Participants at the Ahmedabad session had gathered to read I Am Malala, The Diary of a Young Girl and works by other authors.
According to police, around 20 people confronted participants over the reading of Yousafzai’s book, leading to an altercation. Two people suffered minor injuries.
An FIR was registered against two named accused and around 18 unidentified persons under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those relating to unlawful assembly, rioting and assault.
Police Inspector Gita Chaudhary said investigators were examining CCTV footage and recording statements to determine the roles of other people allegedly involved. Six individuals had been identified so far, she said.
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