Ahmedabad, April 11: Intolerance came to the fore again in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat with Vishwa Hindu Parishad supporters attacking activist Shabnam Hashmi, who is leading a group of 27 youths from across India on a countrywide tour to promote peace and harmony.

The Youth Aman Karwan, made up mostly of students on a “political mission” to motivate first-time voters to defeat communal forces, had a taste of what it was up against on their second day in Gujarat.

They had started from Ahmedabad yesterday and reached Vadodara after covering Godhra in the Panchmahals district.

As soon as a news conference was over, about 50 VHP activists barged into the venue at a hotel. They jostled with Shabnam, abused her and manhandled some youths before smashing the windscreen of the Delhi-based activist’s two vehicles.

Shabnam, sister of murdered theatre activist Safdar Hashmi, said: “The VHP goons arrived at the hotel as we were about to proceed after the press conference. They pushed me around and used abusive language. They said we were maligning Gujarat and that we will be treated exactly the way Narendra Modi treated Muslims. Some of them said they would rape us.”

She has lodged an FIR.

Vadodara police commissioner Sudhir Sinha said police are interrogating the troublemakers.

He confirmed that two of those arrested — Anil Anant and Mahesh Bhatt — are VHP activists. The duo, however, claimed they are “responsible Hindu citizens” who have nothing to do with the VHP.

Witnesses said local BJP workers were also involved, but the party’s Vadodara district president Shabdarsharanbhai Brahmabhatt denied the involvement of his party workers. Instead, he put the blame on Shabnam for what happened.

Shabnam, who was scheduled to speak on the “Future of Muslims in Gujarat”, said she was very disappointed.

“I thought things were different in Gujarat but not much has changed here.”

She is so shocked that she could not decide whether to go ahead with the tour. “I am yet to decide,” she said from Vadodara, explaining that she will have to consult with the members of the group and the students’ parents. She added that the T-shirts of two of her group members were torn in the melee.

The Youth Aman Karwan, the youth wing of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy, an NGO founded by Shabnam, began the month-long Meri Awaz Suno tour from April 7 and planned to cover 40 major cities. The news conference was called to explain their plans.

The Karwan includes two youths from Delol, one of the worst riot-hit areas of Gujarat, and a student from Ahmedabad.

A local reporter covering the conference said the VHP activists were invited by some local reporters who had a heated argument with Shabnam.

It all began with a pamphlet, blaming the media of playing into the hands of the BJP, circulated at the news meet. When some reporters took objection, Shabnam said she wanted to clarify and mentioned the names of two editors, now BJP MPs.

Shabnam later said some journalists also “objected” to her statement that “India Shining was a lie” and alleged that “she had embarked on an anti-Gujarat campaign”.

They reportedly shouted slogans against her and the group and urged other journalists to boycott them.

Immediately after this, all hell broke loose as the VHP men barged in.