Shiv Sena activists today smeared black paint on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni's face for refusing to cancel former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch here.
"When I got out of my home this morning, a group of Shiv Sainiks stopped my car. When I came out, they smeared me with black paint. They abused me," Kulkarni alleged and said that his Observer and Research Foundation (ORF), a foreign policy think-tank, will go ahead with the planned book launch by Kasuri later today despite the attack.
"We won't be cowed down by such events and the book launch will happen as planned," he said and soon after was present at a media interaction along with Kasuri while still drenched in paint.
Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni said the incident occurred in front of Kulkarni's house near Kings circle in suburban Matunga at around 9.30 AM. "About 5-7 unknown persons shouted some slogans and threw colour or ink on him," he said, adding city police will provide security for the event to prevent any untoward incident.
The attack drew sharp condemnation from parties, with Congress saying that "the idea of India as the most liberal democratic country, despite all our neighbours having gone the other way, is being destroyed in the root".
Defending the action of party activists, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said "smearing ink is a very mild form of democratic protest. They are so upset about ink. Imagine when our soldiers are killed and their blood is spilled. It is not ink, it is the blood of our soldiers.
"Nobody can foretell how public anger will explode. People in the country are angry over the violence and bloodshed by Pakistan. We do not have anything personal against Kasuri or anyone else," Raut said.
Kasuri's book 'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy', which was recently unveiled in Delhi, was set to be lauched in Mumbai today. Sena had demanded that the event be scrapped and had threatened to disrupt it.
Kulkarni, who has served as speechwriter for BJP veterans Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, had met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence 'Matoshree' here late last night, but left without getting any assurance from him.
Kasuri said he was "most upset" over the "unfortunate" incident and asserted that while he respected the right to protest, it should be done in a democratic manner.
The Pakistani leader said the main purpose of his visit was to talk about the peace process between India and Pakistan during his tenure.
"Pakistan and India are not born to hate each other. If there are men of goodwill on both sides, situation could easily change.... That is what is contained in my book and I thought it was important to give this message," he said.
