New Delhi: Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly assaulted and attacked with ink on Friday in Northeast Delhi. The incident took place outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in the New Usmanpur area as Kumar was leaving a party meeting with AAP councillor Chhaya Sharma.
Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East) Joy Tirkey confirmed that a complaint has been registered based on Chhaya Sharma’s statement. Legal action is being initiated against the perpetrators.
According to the complaint filed by Chhaya Sharma, “Some persons came and put a garland around Shri Kanhaiya Kumar. After garlanding him, some persons threw ink on Shri Kanhaiya Kumar and tried to assault him. When I tried to intervene, they misbehaved and threatened me.”
Kanhaiya Kumar, in his statement, claimed that the attack was orchestrated by his rival contender, Manoj Tiwari, a sitting BJP MP. Kumar alleged that Tiwari is frustrated with his rising popularity and thus sent “goons” to attack him.
The incident was captured on phone cameras and has sparked controversy amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Kumar is contesting against two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari for the North-East Delhi constituency.
In response to the video, Congress leader Abhishek Dutta accused the BJP of orchestrating the attack on Kumar. “This one slap is going to make the Bharatiya Janata Party lose the elections in Delhi. @kanhaiyakumar will win the elections, now it remains to be seen how many more these cowardly BJP people beat an innocent Bihari,” he posted on X.
Voting in Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats is scheduled for May 25, with the vote count slated for June 4. The incident adds to the tension and drama of the electoral battle in one of Delhi’s key constituencies.
