'Small Incident', Says BJP Lawmaker Radadiya On Kicking Elderly Man

Ahmedabad: BJP parliamentarian Vitthal Radadiya, seen in a widely-shared video kicking an elderly man at a function, today conceded that he did it but called it a "small incident".

In the video circulated on social media after it emerged over the weekend, the lawmaker was seen approaching the man sitting at a function in Gujarat's Rajkot and repeatedly kicking him.

Mr Radadiya was also seen picking up the man's things and ordering him to leave.

He claims he kicked him and threw him out because the man was trying to spread superstition and was "acting weirdly".

"That man was spreading superstition as he was continuously shaking his head and body when artists were singing. His acts also disturbed many others, including women, as they felt uncomfortable due to his weird acts," said Mr Radadiya, who had earlier denied attacking the man.

"I am told by the organisers that he has been living in the tent for the last three-four days. To stop him from disturbing others through his strange acts, I kicked him first and asked the organisers to take him out. After he was taken away, people felt relieved. It was a small incident," said the 57-year-old lawmaker.

The man hasn't filed any complaint but the police yesterday started their own investigation and sent the video for a forensic analysis.

The lawmaker, who quit the Congress in 2013, is familiar with controversy.

The Gujarat High Court has ordered an independent investigation by the police into an alleged assault of a shop-owner last year by Mr Radadiya and others.

In 2012, Mr Radadiya was caught on camera waving a gun threateningly at a toll booth attendant near Vadodara. He had claimed that he acted in self-defence, though no other person could be seen anywhere near him. When asked for ID proof, the then Congress lawmaker was seen coming out of his car with a rifle in his hand and threatening to kill the toll booth staff.