Kiran Bedi's office vandalised, three BJP workers injured

A group of around 150 lawyers Monday vandalised the office of BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi in her Delhi assembly constituency of Krishna Nagar, in which three party workers were injured, police said.

According to police, the incident took place around 4.30 p.m., when the lawyers - protesting the announcement of Bedi as the Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi - marched towards her office raising slogans against her and the party.

Due to the commotion, around 25 workers inside Bedi's office came out and a heated argument ensued between the two groups that led to a clash.

Three BJP workers - Harihar, Kapil and Manoj, all in their early 30s - were injured and later hospitalised, police said.

The lawyers then entered Bedi's office and broke some furniture, a party leader said.

Police said the lawyers were protesting against Bedi ever since she was named the chief ministerial candidate, because in 1988 when she was the Delhi Police deputy commissioner, a group of protesting lawyers were caned on her orders.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Beniwal told IANS that a probe would be ordered into the incident as soon as police receive a written complaint.

Bedi visited the injured workers in hospital and said their statements have been recorded.

Bedi, in a series of tweets, said: "My BJP constituency office in Krishna Nagar am informed has been attacked. Informed some injured too. Cutting short Rallies, rushing back."

"Met the injured. Their statements recorded. Will give all evidence to the police and await the findings of police investigation.

"Thanked all our BJP volunteers who bore the assault and did not get provoked! Appealed to them to remain calm, civil and peaceful," she said in another tweet.

BJP's Delhi unit president Satish Upadhyay "strongly" condemned the attack and accused "some activists" of the Aam Aadmi Party of being behind the attack.

"We strongly condemn the attack. This is a repetition of the attack on the BJP national headquarters by AAP activists before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections," he said.

"Before the birth of the AAP, there was no place for violence or abusive misconduct in the politics of Delhi. It is up to the people of Delhi now to totally reject the politics of anarchism," Upadhyay added.