28/08/2026
*Condemn the Attack on Peaceful Readers!*
On 27 August, a silent book-reading programme was organised at an AUDA Garden in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. Students and young people had gathered to read books that uphold the values of freedom of thought and expression.
The call for the programme had explicitly stated that there would be no slogans, no posters and no chanting. It was intended to be a peaceful and silent exercise in reading and reflection.
As around 50 participants were beginning to disperse at approximately 6:00 PM, a group of men armed with lathis and hockey sticks entered the garden. They first engaged the participants in an aggressive verbal confrontation and subsequently physically assaulted them. Several participants sustained injuries and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The police response was delayed, and despite the seriousness of the incident, the FIR was registered only late at night.
The *Students’ Federation of India (SFI)- Gujarat State Committee* believes that there is absolutely no place for violence in political or public life in a democratic country. The right to read, think, express ideas and peacefully assemble is fundamental to any democratic society.
*SFI Gujarat State Committee* strongly condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this vicious attack on people who were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights. Such acts of intimidation and violence by right-wing elements must not be allowed to become a means of suppressing freedom of thought and democratic expression.
*SFI Gujarat State Committee* demands immediate and impartial action against all those responsible for the attack and urges the authorities to ensure the safety and constitutional rights of students and young people.
