A man was detained on Saturday afternoon after he allegedly tried to blacken the face of an office-bearer of the organising committee of the 10th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, an all-India Marathi literary meet. Police said the accused attempted to throw a black substance at the office-bearer but was stopped in time. A case is being registered against him.
According to Tushar Doshi, Superintendent of Police, Satara, the man, identified as Sanjay Jadhav, is not associated with any outfit but is known for staging protests over issues pertaining to farmers.
Meanwhile, Marathi author Pradeep Kokare said that he was stopped on Saturday at the 9th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan for wearing a black shirt. He claimed the restriction was enforced due to the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The event was held in Satara, around 120 km from Pune.
“When I argued that nowhere was it mentioned that black clothes would not be permitted, the personnel said it was due to the Chief Minister’s presence,” Kokare said. He added that he had come to set up a stall at the event and interact with readers.
“If black colour was not allowed, it should have been clearly mentioned in bold letters in the invitation,” he said, adding that he never imagined such a diktat at a literary meet.
Vinod Kulkarni, the working president of the organising committee, said the literary meet began on Friday.
Police personnel deployed at the entry gate reportedly stopped Kokare because he was wearing a black shirt. He was later allowed entry.