Rohith Vemula Suicide: ABVP’s Mumbai Office Attacked

Mumbai, Jan 23 (IANS) Nearly half a dozen people wearing masks and dark glasses attacked the state headquarters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in Mumbai's Matunga area, injuring at least one party activist on Saturday evening.

The attackers, whose identity or affiliations were not immediately clear, were protesting against the recent suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula of the University of Hyderabad.

Armed with rods and hockey sticks, they barged into the ABVP office in Matunga and started damaging the furniture and fittings there, said state organising secretary Raghunath Deshpande.

The attackers shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya before fleeing the scene.

ABVP activist Francis D'Souza was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

"We strongly condemn this attack. Two days ago, even our Bengaluru office was similarly attacked. This could lead to a bad situation and we urge the central and state governments to take effective steps to control these rowdy elements," Deshpande told media persons.