{"id":17484,"date":"2026-08-28T09:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=17484"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:27:23","slug":"right-wing-group-disrupts-silent-reading-protest-ahmedabad-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=17484","title":{"rendered":"Right-wing group disrupts silent reading protest | Ahmedabad News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133576992,imgsize-265330,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/133576992.jpg\" alt=\"Protesters reading Malala Yousafzai, Anne Frank books disrupted by VHP in Ahmedabad\" title=\"In Vastrapur, a silent reading protest faced disruption from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"In Vastrapur, a silent reading protest faced disruption from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.\">In Vastrapur, a silent reading protest faced disruption from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>AHMEDABAD: Violence was reported at a silent reading held in Vastrapur on Thursday evening to protest a school\u2019s dropping of books by <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/malala-yousafzai\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malala Yousafzai<\/a> and Anne Frank. Participants alleged that members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) disrupted the protest at around 6.30pm, and injured 8-10 of those who had gathered there with their books.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Police said they are establishing the identities and affiliations of the people involved in the alleged vandalism, and are also verifying the nature of injuries to protestors. An FIR in the incident was yet to be filed till late Thursday.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>Around 70 people had gathered at a municipal garden near the district education office (DEO) in Vastrapur for a two-hour silent reading intended to show protest against a Shilaj school dropping the books, \u201cI Am Malala\u201d and \u201cThe Diary of a Young Girl\u201d from its reading list after uproar from parents and righ-wing activists.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The protestors read books including \u201cWhy I Am An Atheist\u201d, \u201c1984\u201d, \u201cBhima Koregaon: Our War Cry\u201d, There\u2019s Gunpowder in the Air\u201d and \u201cThe Meat of the Matter: How Politics of Food Shapes Our Health\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>The gathering was allegedly disrupted around 6.30pm by 8-10 VHP members. Participants alleged they were confronted by the group and that 8-10 silent protestors were injured.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>Participants said the issue was beyond banning the books. Jay Thakkar, who attended the protest, said, \u201cI am concerned about children\u2019s education and critical thinking that should prevail in education. Protest can take many forms. This is a call for all those people who are not okay with the banning of the books.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Design researcher Manushree Sinha said the gathering was \u201ca collective expression against hate, discrimination and conformity\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>Satya Oza, a student, said everyone should have the right to read what they want. \u201cMalala\u2019s is a story of grit and a girl\u2019s wish to get educated. Inspiration can come from all directions, and it should not be judged based on religion or nationality,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Another student, Aditi, said \u201cThe Diary of Anne Frank\u201d offered a perspective on how an ordinary person experiences a regime. \u201cDeciding what a citizen can or cannot read seems anachronistic today,\u201d she said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>Inspector G M Chaudhary of Vastrapur police said the gathering was allegedly vandalised by a right-wing group and that police are verifying the identities and affiliations of the people that confronted the participants. <!-- -->She said some people were injured and police are verifying their medical reports to establish the nature of their injuries. \u201cWe will register an FIR after verifying the claims of the group that had gathered for the reading of the books,\u201d Chaudhary said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>Gautam Sarkar, a sales professional, said the silent format was intended to make passers-by curious about the gathering.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Jwalit Mehta, regional coordinator, Bajrang Dal, Gujarat, said in a video byte that \u201cmembers of the outfit do not want students of India to read a book written by someone with anti-India views, like Malala\u201d.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/ahmedabad\/right-wing-group-disrupts-silent-reading-protest\/articleshow\/133576992.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Vastrapur, a silent reading protest faced disruption from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. AHMEDABAD: Violence was reported at a silent reading held in Vastrapur on Thursday evening to protest a school\u2019s dropping of books by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank. Participants alleged that members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) disrupted the protest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"In Vastrapur, a silent reading protest faced disruption from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. AHMEDABAD: Violence was reported at a silent reading held in Vastrapur on Thursday evening to protest a school\u2019s dropping of books by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank. Participants alleged that members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) disrupted the protest [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/133576992.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}