No action needed against attacker, says Arvind Kejriwal

Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged police to release the man who had hurled a shoe at him a day earlier in Lucknow, saying he had no bad feelings.

“I have no bad feelings towards that man, I don't know what he had in mind before doing this. But I will say violence is not the way, we should sit and talk,” Kejriwal said, referring to Tuesday's incident when he was attacked and heckled while preparing for a meeting in Lucknow.

“I don't know where he is. If he is in police custody, I will say release him and don't take any action,” he said.

The man identified as Jitendra Pathak of Jalaun district hurled the chappal at Kejriwal when he was about to reach the dais at Jhulelal park. He was arrested.

Kejriwal also said more such attacks may come in future and urged volunteers not to indulge in violence when such incidents occur.

“The volunteers have to be careful in such cases. If our volunteers attack, what kind of Gandhians are we? If someone attacks, we have to sit with him and explain things to him,” he said.