Indian-American senatorial candidate attacked by ''racist'' opponent supporter

New York, July 29

An Indian-American senatorial candidate has been assaulted allegedly by a racist man who punched him in the face leaving him severely bleeding at a town hall in Massachusetts, according to media reports.

Shiva Ayyadurai, 54, who is running Independent against powerful incumbent Elizabeth Warren from the Democratic party was attacked last week by her supporter, Boston.com reported.

.@SenWarren YOU’ve got til MON. 7/30 5PM to unequivocally condemn THE attack & deliver my family & I a APOLOGY. A RACIST White guy attacked a Black Indian Man. INSTEAD OF condemning the attack, YOU sheltered him IN YOUR “town hall.” Do #BlackLivesMatter or do you exploit race? pic.twitter.com/zRQcA6W0Fz

— Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai,PhD (M.I.T.) Inventor of Email (@va_shiva) July 26, 2018

Ayyadurai, an eminent scientist and an outspoken critic, was punched by a man, wearing a t-shirt which said "liberal" and a Warren for Senate sticker.

He approched Ayyadurai with an umbrella while he bullhorned a queue of Warren supporters outside a town hall in Great Barrington, where the Democratic Senator was scheduled to appear, the report said.

"I was just punched in face by a racist @SenWarren supporter," Ayyadurai tweeted.

"This is how these white privileged white supremacists react. What you just witnessed is how you white supremacists react when you don't want to hear the truth from a dark-skinned Indian guy. The same guy you claim you want to help. You guys are racists," Ayyadurai said.

He received a bloody lip, swelling, and abrasions, the report said.

The encounter played out as a crowd of Warren supporters waited to enter a center, the Great Barrington police said in a statement. Paul Solovay left the line, crossed Castle Street, and approached Ayyadurai.

"Solovay allegedly engaged in a verbal confrontation that became physical when he pushed the bullhorn toward the speaker, striking his mouth," police said. "Officers acted quickly to subdue Solovay and place him into custody."  

"We don't produce enough engineers. We don't produce enough doctors. But we do produce a bunch of scumbag lawyer lobbyists like Elizabeth Warren,” Ayyadurai says in the video before it cuts to Solovay shouting at him from across the street.

When the two come face to face, Ayyadurai repeatedly calls Solovay a racist through the megaphone before the 74-year-old pushes it into his face, the video shows.

Solovay, who was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct, pleaded not guilty on Monday in Southern Berkshire District Court. He was released on personal recognisance. PTI