{
  "id": 3977535,
  "title": "Ahmedabad: 3 held after attack on Malala, Anne Frank book-reading session in Vastrapur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/ahmedabad-3-held-after-attack-on-malala-anne-frank-book-reading",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T14:13:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ahmedabad-3-held-after-attack-on-malala-anne-frank-book-reading-session-in-vastrapur-101787926420561.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three individuals linked to right-wing groups were apprehended following an altercation at a book-reading event featuring works by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur area, according to police. During the incident, two people sustained minor injuries.\n\n\"On Thursday evening, a gathering formed at AUDA Garden for a book-reading session, which was interrupted by approximately twenty individuals wielding sticks, claiming affiliation with the VHP and Bajrang Dal,\" reported Vastrapur police station inspector Geeta Chaudhari. Following questioning about the books being read, an altercation ensued. Three persons have been arrested.\n\nThe participants intended to read Yousafzai’s \"I Am Malala\" and Frank’s \"The Diary of a Young Girl,\" alongside other literary works. The session was organized amid debate over the inclusion of the two books in the curriculum of a prominent private school in Ahmedabad.\n\nBased on an FIR filed at the Vastrapur police station in response to a complaint by Jaykumar Natvarlal (30), charges of rioting and unlawful assembly were filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR, registered at the Vastrapur police station, stated that the group had convened at the garden around 4 pm on Thursday. Around 6.30 pm, a group of men arrived and inquired about the participants' reading choices. The confrontation intensified, resulting in assaults on members of the reading group. The FIR names Hiren Rabari and Jimeet Rabari, along with around 18 unidentified individuals, as accused. The complaint alleges that Sneh Bhavsar, Savan Zalariya, and Shashikumar were assaulted, with a woman being pulled by her hair and another participant slapped. Police identified six persons connected to the incident, with more arrests anticipated. The Bajrang Dal's Gujarat unit announced on X that it had opposed Yousafzai's book due to its stance on the Kashmir issue, leading to its removal from the school's reading list. However, the reading has since resumed. The controversy began following protests at the private school, which subsequently dropped the two books from its mandatory reading list, making them optional instead. The reading session was organized by the Student and Youth Collective, attended by students, lawyers, media professionals, and others, to protest the removal of the books.",
  "summary": "A book-reading session featuring works by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, Anne Frank was allegedly attacked at AUDA Garden in Ahmedabad’s Vastrapur area",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}