Former Union Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid's residence in Uttarakhand's Nainital was vandalised and set on fire by miscreants on Monday allegedly after his new book compared Hindutva with radical Islam.

The Congress leader got embroiled in controversy after he recently launched his new book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times.'

"Rakesh Kapil and 20 others have been booked. Strict action will be taken against perpetrators," DGI (Kumaun) Neelesh Anand told ANI.

Sharing pictures and videos on Facebook, Khurshid wrote, "I hoped to open these doors to my friends who have left this calling card. Am I still wrong to say this cannot be Hinduism?"

"So such is the debate now. Shame is too ineffective a word. Besides I still hope that we can reason together one day and agree to disagree if not more," he wrote in another post.

In a video, two people can be seen dousing out the fire while the pictures show tall flames of fire and a charred door, and shattered windows.

As per media persons on the ground, some people also raised slogans and flags outside Khurshid's residence today.
Condemning the incident, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor termed it is "disgraceful" and called Khurshid a "statesman who has done India proud in international forums."

"This is disgraceful. Salman Khurshid is a statesman who has done India proud in international forums and always articulated a moderate, centrist, inclusive vision of the country domestically. The mounting levels of intolerance in our politics should be denounced by those in power," Tharoor tweeted.

However, several political leaders have condemned Khurshid for his new book including Union Ministers.