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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress condemned the incident, saying no one has the right to resort to violence.
According to footage captured by Closed-Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs), a band of 10-15 protesters hurled stones and bricks at the office. They were carrying the signature flag of an outfit which police suspected to be Hindu Raksha Dal. The attack took place at about 11 am. No one was injured in the attack. “We suspect the attackers were from the Hindu Raksha Dal. A team has been sent to arrest the accused,” Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh told Business Standard over the phone. Police said they had deployed security personnel at the AAP office after the incident.
Later, the Hindu Raksha Dal confirmed their men were behind the attack. "We today (on Wednesday) staged a protest against AAP's stand on Kashmir. AAP leader Prashant Bhushan's remarks on Kashmir were outrageous for Hindus. Therefore, we staged a protest outside the party office," said Pinky Choudhary, national convenor.
Bhushan had drawn flak after he told a private news channel that people's view in the Valley should be considered in the form of referendum in regards to deployment of armed forces in the state. Later, he had given a clarification on his statement.
Party convenor Kejriwal invited the attackers for a dialogue with him. "What do they want? We have cleared our party's stand on the Kashmir issue that we are against any referendum when it comes to the matters of internal security of a state and maintain that Kashmir is an integral part of India,” the chief minister said.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, “We condemn the attack on the AAP office, because no one has any right to take the law unto their hands. We will never support anyone doing such an act.” However, she made it a point to add, “We also should remember Prashant Bhushan's comments on Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. What Prashant Bhushan has said on Kashmir, we condemn that also.”
Helpline launched
According to a PTI report, the AAP government on Wednesday launched a helpline number to deal with corruption and promised action within 24 hours of sting operations to expose graft. Speaking at a news conference here, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said 011-27357169 is the anti-corruption helpline number which will work from 8 am to 10 pm.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath condemned the attack on the AAP headquarters. "I condemn politics of violence and it is unfortunate...There is no place for such acts in the country," he told reporters here.
Other party members also condemned the attack and accused the BJP and its progenitor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of orchestrating the attack.
“This shows the tremendous frustration of the BJP and the Sangh towards our party,” Bhushan told reporters in the national capital.
“It is unfortunate that national parties like the BJP give directions to their associated organisations to attack us,” Bhushan added.
