Why Did Bajrang Dal Workers Allegedly Assault A Group Reading Malala Yousafzai’s Book In Ahmedabad?

A group of civil society members in Ahmedabad alleged that Bajrang Dal workers assaulted them after they gathered at an AUDA garden in Vastrapur on Thursday to read Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala, NDTV reported. The reading was organised amid a dispute over the inclusion of Yousafzai’s book and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl at Anand Niketan School’s Shilaj campus.

The school had faced protests over the inclusion of I Am Malala and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, with members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal joining the protests, The Indian Express reported. The school later said it had made the two books optional, although its account differs from subsequent reporting on their earlier status in the reading programme.

What happened at the reading?

A social media call invited civil society members to gather at the AUDA Garden in Vastrapur and read Yousafzai’s book, according to NDTV. The group was also seeking the reinstatement of the book in Anand Niketan School’s curriculum.

Participants brought other books to the gathering, including works by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

According to NDTV, Bajrang Dal activists arrived after learning about the gathering and objected to the reading of Yousafzai’s book. The activists confronted the group and demanded that promotion of her work be stopped. The situation escalated, with Bajrang Dal workers assaulting people who were reading the book.

The activists cited Yousafzai’s past remarks on Kashmir, which they described as anti-India, as their objection to the book.

How did the school controversy begin?

Parents protested at Anand Niketan School’s Shilaj campus after a Class VIII student allegedly found a piece of glass in food served at the school, The Indian Express reported.

The protests later expanded to the school’s Book Club and its inclusion of I Am Malala and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Some parents alleged that the school was discriminating against a particular religion because of the books. Members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal also joined the protests.

The school later listed the two books as optional. In its response to a show-cause notice from the Ahmedabad District Education Officer, the school said the books were part of an optional Book Club/Library and were not part of the compulsory academic curriculum. The school also said students could choose from four books in the Book Club, with Yousafzai’s memoir and Anne Frank’s diary made optional.

However, in a later report, The Indian Express described the two titles as having been part of an extracurricular mandatory reading list and reported that the school dropped them from that list after the protests.

The school’s account therefore differs from the later Indian Express description of the Book Club as an extracurricular mandatory reading list.

What action was taken?

The controversy also led to action involving school consultant Munazza Shums.

The school terminated consultant Munazza Shums’ services after parents questioned her role in the school’s operations.

The school later fired its canteen supervisor following notices from District Administrative Officer Rohit Chaudhary, The Indian Express reported.

Separately, the Ahmedabad District Education Officer issued a show-cause notice to the school seeking an explanation over the alleged glass piece found in the food.

Why was the Vastrapur reading organised?

NDTV reported that the gathering was organised to seek the reinstatement of I Am Malala in Anand Niketan School’s curriculum.

The Student and Youth Collective, Ahmedabad, backed the school and criticised the decision to drop the two books from the mandatory reading list. At least 200 people expressed solidarity with the school and its staff, according to The Indian Express.