Chant 'Vande Mataram' or leave India, Right-wing men tell Dalit activist Kancha Ilaiah

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HYDERABAD: Dalit rights campaigner and writer Kancha Ilaiah was on Wednesday harassed by right-wing activists who asked him to chant 'Vande Mataram' if he sought to stay in India.

The incident took place outside a court in Telangana Jagital district’s Korutla town.

The activists attempted while he was getting into his car, however, he was rescued by police and whisked him away from the spot.

A report said a large number of youth holding placards tried to attack him with slippers and others hurled eggs.

Ilaiah told media that the attack was by people belonging to the Arya Vysya community who allegedly told him to chant 'Vande Mataram' if he sought to stay in India, DNA quoted a media report.

Earlier too, Kancha Ilaiah had alleged attack.

Arya Vysya associations had held protests in Hyderabad in September alleging that the title of Ilaiah's book and some of its contents were "derogatory and demeaning" to the community and sought withdrawal of the book.

The community is angry at Ilaiah over his book "Samajika Smugglurlu Komatollu" (Vysyas are social smugglers) and was demanding apology from the writer.