Violent Varanasi: Raghu attacked, Gul Panag escapes

AAP leader Gul Panag and MTV VJ Raghu of Roadies fame were on Friday allegedly manhandled inside the Banaras Hindu University campus here after a scuffle broke out between Aam Aadmi Party supporters and a group of students allegedly belonging to BJP’s student wing ABVP.

Panag and Raghu were safe, but were chased away by a group of students when then went to campaign inside the BHU campus, party leaders said.

‘They have attempted to attack her, but could not succeed. A group of BHU students chased them away, She is fine,’ an AAP spokesperson told PTI, while adding that those students were probably BJP supporters.

Soon after the incident, Ragu tweeted, ‘Oh well I just got attacked by two guys with lathis inside the BHU. They were outsiders, BHU boys chased them away’.

‘Have things come to this in Varanasi that visitors are unwelcome. I refuse to believe it,’ he said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, Panag too took to Twitter to give her version. ‘Things heated up during an interaction with #BHU students. Got away before things escalated. (Raghu) WAS attacked. Is now safe,’ Panag tweeted.

AAP workers have been alleging that BJP supporters have been attacking them.

Panag and Raghu were scheduled to join AAP leader and Varanasi candidate Arvind Kejriwal for his roadshow later today at the BHU gate. Panag is AAP candidate from Chandigarh, where polling has already taken place, and has come here for campaigning in Varanasi where voting will take place on 12 May.

The campaign ends here on Saturday.