Two people were taken into custody today for throwing ink on senior journalist and writer, Girish Kuber, amid controversies surrounding his book.
The Indian Express reported that the accused have been identified as Sambhaji Brigade workers Satish Kale (46) and Rajendra Gund (42), both from Pune. The Sambhaji Brigade is a branch of the Maratha Seva Sangh.
While NDTV and the Wire claimed it was ink, Express reported that the substance was actually “bukka” (a black powder).
The incident took place at Maharashtra’s Nashik, on the concluding day of the 94th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan.
Kale and Gund were protesting “allegedly controversial references about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in his book,” according to the Wire. Kuber's book, Renaissance State: The Unwritten Story of the Making of Maharashtra, had been publicly criticised by the Sambhaji Brigade earlier this year.
Kuber, the editor of Marathi daily Loksatta, was reportedly standing behind a stage when a few men walked up to him and splashed ink on his face, hair, and shirt. The Wire reported that even some police personnel present at the spot were splashed.
The incident was condemned by several politicians, including Sharad Pawar, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the Mumbai press club.
While visiting the literary meet, Pawar said “the attack on a writer in protest against his work is akin to the attack on the principle of the freedom of expression,” and that it didn’t suit the “image of Maharashtra”.
The Wire quoted Fadnavis as saying that “anything written against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj should be condemned but resorting to an ink attack during a literary meet is not right.”
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