Congress Candidate Kanhaiya Kumar Attacked During Campaign in Delhi

In a shocking incident, Kanhaiya Kumar, the Congress’ Lok Sabha candidate from North East Delhi, was assaulted by a group of seven to eight individuals who threw black ink at him while he was campaigning in the national capital.

The assault occurred on Friday in East Delhi’s New Usmanpur area, and videos of the incident have since gone viral. Two of the alleged attackers released videos boasting about the attack, claiming they targeted Kumar because he had raised slogans about breaking up the country and spoken against the Indian Army.

Chhaya Gaurav Sharma, an AAP councillor from Brahmapuri, filed a complaint stating that she and Kumar were leaving the party’s office in Kartar Nagar when the attackers garlanded Kumar, threw ink on him, and then physically assaulted him. Sharma reported that three to four women were also injured, and a female journalist fell into a drain during the commotion.

Sharma further alleged that the attackers dragged her by her stole and threatened to kill her and her husband. Delhi Police confirmed they have received Sharma’s complaint and are verifying the videos as part of their ongoing investigation.

In videos released after the incident, two of the attackers showed their reddened hands, claiming they attacked Kumar in response to slogans he allegedly raised at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2016 when he was the JNU Students’ Union president. The attackers, identifying themselves as ‘Sanatani lions,’ accused Kumar of insulting the Indian Army and declared they had “treated” him accordingly.

Kanhaiya Kumar, 37, is running against BJP’s Manoj Tiwari, the sitting Member of Parliament for the constituency and the only Delhi MP not replaced by the party. Delhi is set to vote in the sixth phase on May 25.