Protesters threw ink at the State cooperation minister Harshavardhan Patil on Friday at a function in Bhigwan, in Pune district’s Indapur tehsil. He suffered an eye injury. The Bhigwan police arrested two persons but the Dhangar Reservation Action Committee (Dhangar Aarakshan Kruti Samiti) condemned and distanced themselves from the incident.
It appears that that the ink attack is linked to the State government failing to keep its promise to include the Dhangar community in the ST category.
Indapur Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) chairman Mayursingh Patil, who is also Patil’s cousin, was present when the minister was attacked. “We were returning after the inauguration of a government trauma centre, when Patil saheb noticed a group of eight to ten people walking towards his car. When he got down to meet them, one person sprayed ink on Patil’s face from a bottle. The crowd nabbed the perpetrators, and we rushed him to Baramati. The doctor there advised us to go to Ruby Hall Clinic, so we left for Pune, where a minor injury to Patil saheb’s left eye was diagnosed, due to a chemical in the ink. He is now under observation.”
On Friday, politicos thronged Ruby Hall Clinic to enquire after Patil’s well-being, including MLAs Ramesh Thorat and Ramesh Bagve, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) leader Mahadev Jankar, who belongs to the Dhangar community, said, “I have urged community members against taking the law in their hands, and to take the agitation forward in a democratic manner.”
Committee chairman and NCP leader Hanmantrao Sul said, “No one can support such an act; we strongly condemn it.” He admitted that the community was getting restless after discussions with CM Prithviraj Chavan failed last Saturday.
Sambhaji Kadam, SDPO (Baramati), said, “We arrested two RSP workers — Sachin Malgunde (27) and Dada Thorat (33) — in connection with this incident. Investigations are on to find others. We suspect it to be a premeditated attack.”
A case has been registered against Praveen by the Pulakeshinagar police. Further investigations are on.
