In a second incident of its kind in two months, a Bhim Army activist threw ink at a Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader, this time, Minister Chandrakant Patil in protest against the government’s policy of privatisation of public sector jobs.

The incident occurred late on Sunday evening at the Solapur government guest house when the Bhim Army activist Ajay Mendergikar sneaked in under the pretense of presenting him a bouquet of flowers, and targeted the Minister by throwing ink on him.

A police posse posted there immediately rushed towards Mendergikar, caught him and took him away from the place. Patil had arrived on his maiden visit to the district of which he was appointed the new Guardian Minister last week.

On September 8, another BJP Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil had been targeted with a turmeric attack by some Dhangar activists demanding reservations for the community.

At that time the Dhangar Reservation Action Committee Coordinator Shekhar Bangale was caught and later detained by the police.

This time, the police had deployed tight security at the guest house yet Mendergikar managed to get inside carrying a large bouquet, breached the security and threw the ink at Patil, even as some of his supporters waved black flags and shouted anti-BJP slogans.

Incidentally, Patil had suffered an ink attack in Pune in December 2022 for his comments on icons in the state after which several police officials were suspended for the security lapses.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)