Bruised and Beaten, Prashant Bhushan Wants Ban on Sri Rama Sene

Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Oct 12: Prashant Bhushan, senior advocate and key member of Team Anna who was attacked on Wednesday October 12 allegedly by members of Sri Rama Sene, has condemned the group and demanded a ban on it.

Bhushan was attacked by three people who bashed him up, tore his shirt and pinned him to the floor when he was in his chamber in the Supreme Court.

A furious Bhushan, who was given medical attention later, said that he had received calls from people who had taken offence to his remarks on Kashmir. Bhushan had said a few days back that he favoured referendum in Kashmir, which did not go down well with some groups.

Bhushan also stated that Sri Rama Sene deserved to be banned as it had been known for creating nuisance across the country.

"This is an organisation which needs to be socially boycotted in this country and perhaps banned by the government. This Sri Ram Sene is known for its goondaism for its unprovoked assault on unarmed people who are totally caught off-guard," he said at a press meet.

Meanwhile, justifying the attack, Sri Ram Sene's state unit general secretary Tushar Agarwal, said, "Comments made by Prashant Bhushan on Jammu and Kashmir were anti-national and anyone who will make such comments will not spared."

While Sri Rama Sene has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, it has also been distributing pamphlets under the name of Bharat Singh Kranti Sena.

On Facebook and Twitter, Bharat Singh Kranti Sena pages have been flooded with both hate messages and congratulatory posts, some condemning Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga, one of the attackers, while others appreciating him.

Soon after the attack, Tejinder wrote on his Facebook page: “he try to break my Nation,i try to break his head.Hisab chukta. Congrats to all. operation Prashant Bhushan successful."

On the other hand, Inder Kumar, one of the attackers, who is said to be an activist of the Sri Rama Sene, said it was Bhushan's people who had attacked him and his comrades when they came to seek explanation from Bhushan on some comments the lawyer had made.

"We had gone to seek his response about his statement on Kashmir. He had talked about giving away Kashmir to Pakistan, which we we strongly protest. It's an insult to martyrs and this will not be tolerated in India," he said.

In fact, the three gained entry on the pretext of having an appointment with Bhushan. They punched and kicked him repeatedly. This happened even as Bhushan was speaking to a news channel.

Of the three, Inder Verma was caught while the other two managed to excape.

"The accused, Inder Verma who lives in Nangloi, has been arrested from the Supreme Court premises and his two accomplices -- Vishnu Gupta and Tejinder Pal -- are on the run," said a senior police official.

The attack on Bhushan has been widely condemned. Anna Hazare, home minister Chidambaram and also the BJP have expressed their shock and called for strict punishment against the attackers.