Ink thrown at Kanhaiya Kumar in Kolkata rallies

Kolkata, Aug 22 (IANS) Ink was thrown at former Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and other participants of rallies here on Tuesday allegedly by members of a right-wing organisation.

The ink missed Kanhaiya, but hit others present on the stage at the rally organised by the All India Students Federation and the All India Youth Federation - the student and youth arms of the Communist Party of India - at Jodhpur Park area.

A person tried to throw ink again at a subsequent rally of Kanhaiya at Jadavpur 8B crossing, but was caught, overpowered and beaten up by AISF activists, who alleged that the attacker belonged to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The ink thrower was detained by police.

Kanhaiya Kumar later alleged that the attackers were trying to disrupt the meeting.

"They are deliberately trying to disrupt the meeting by creating a ruckus. Let the administration take action," said Kanhaiya Kumar, now a poster boy of leftist student associations in the country.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his radio talk show 'Mann Ki Baat', he told the gathering: "They do not want me to have 'Maan Ki Baat' with you. According to them, only the Prime Minister has that privilege in this country."

On Monday, nearly 100 slogan shouting BJP activists had staged a demonstration against Kanhaiya Kumar in Midnapore town of West Midnapore district, calling him an IS terrorist group's agent and "anti-national" .

They had also thrown rotten eggs at him, but the missiles missed the target, as police cordoned off Kanhaiya and barricaded the protestors.

The AISFA and AIYF have taken out a "Save India- Change India" long march across the country from July 15.

Kanhaiya Kumar has been the main crowdpuller throughout the long march, that began from the country's southernmost landmass Kanyakumari and would end on September 2 at Hussainiwala of Punjab close to the India-Pakistan border.