A youth allegedly hurled a brick at Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij's official car in Panipat today, breaking a glass pane of the vehicle, but the senior BJP leader managed to escape unhurt, the police said.
The incident took place this afternoon in front of the mini secretariat complex, following which the 24-year-old accused and his accomplice, aged around 25, were taken immediately taken in police custody, a police official said.
Vij, who was in Panipat to chair a District Public Relations and Grievance Redressal Committee meeting, said the car's front glass pane was damaged in the attack.
"I was about to come out of the secretariat building complex in my car when the stone was hurled at the vehicle which broke its front pane. I and my driver were lucky to escape unhurt," Vij earlier told PTI over phone.
The minister, Panipat Rural MLA Mahipal Dhanda and two others were in the car at the time of the incident. Senior civil and police officials and some local BJP leaders were present in the secretariat complex to see off Vij when the incident took place.
According to the Panipat police, the main accused was said to be mentally unsound.
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The accused have told the police that they were protesting the "dilution" of the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Supreme Court on March 20 diluted the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in a bid to protect honest public servants discharging bona fide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the Act.
The apex court said government servants should not be arrested without prior sanction and private citizens too should be arrested only after an inquiry under the law.
But Dalit organisations, including the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, and opposition political parties fear the dilution of the provisions might lead to increase in violence against Dalits.
They have urged the BJP-led Union government to seek an immediate review of the Supreme Court judgement. The BJP also governs Haryana.