Shiv Sainiks smear ink on Sudheendra Kulkarni. People vent ire on Twitter

Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of Observer and Research Foundation, which had organised the book launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, was attacked by Shiv Sena members in Mumbai on Monday.

Talking to India Today, Kulkarni said some Shiv Sena members barged into his society and smeared his face with black paint and threatened him not to go ahead with Kasuri's book launch event.

"As soon as I got out of my building, a group of Shiv Sainiks stopped me and asked me to come out of the car and smeared black paint on me. They shouted slogans and threatened me saying we had ordered you no to go ahead with the book launch," Kulkarni said. He, however, added that despite the incident the book launch event will he held as scheduled.

The incident comes in the heels of famous Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali's concert being cancelled after a similar threat from Shiv Sena. It seems the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has thrown its hat in the ring of the ongoing wrestling match between BJP and its current/former allies of competitive intolerance. While BJP leaders like Sangeet Som, Mahesh Sharma, among others, are launching one attack after another on the syncretic food culture of India, a result of which was the #Dadrilynching and murder of 51-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq, others like the Shiv Sena boss have started targeting Pakistani artists and intellectuals scheduled to hold programmes in Mumbai.

Kulkarni, who was the organiser of the ORF book launch, was doused with black ink by a group of 10-15 men shouting "Shiv Sena zindabad", who was also called him a "traitor" for hosting a Pakistani on Indian soil. A sombre Kasuri told reporters, "What happened with Kulkarni is not right. I understand the right to protest as long as it is peaceful. I am here to spread the message of peace".   

Images of Kurkarni's blackened face, with which he went ahead and held the book launch and discussion with Kasuri in a bold display of democratic values and right to free speech, have gone viral online, with social media expressing disgust and outrage alive.      

Read more.

Here is how people reacted to the outrageous incident on Twitter:

In this incident, @SudheenKulkarni comes across as brave, the Shiv Sainiks bigoted, and @Dev_Fadnavis as two-faced: http://t.co/JVw2XF8tyh

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) October 12, 2015

Black paint attack on @SudheenKulkarni for organising Kasuri book release. Truly Shameful. What has happened to my M'tra @AUThackeray ?

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) October 12, 2015

Sena says the black ink on @SudheenKulkarni is "jawanon ka khoon". I know & love our Fauj. Not a single soldier would defend hooliganism

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) October 12, 2015

Dear @AUThackeray its no point championing night-life for Mumbai if you cant stand up against the hooligans who attacked @SudheenKulkarni

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) October 12, 2015

Paint on Sudheendra Kulkarni's face will go, but by carrying on with presscon, he has put buckets of permanent paint on faces of the goons

— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) October 12, 2015

Strongly condemn most dastardly attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni by Shiv Sainiks Udhav Thakre must control his goons Full support to Sudheendra

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) October 12, 2015

Why sympathise with @SudheenKulkarni when he's clearly milking his situation? #SudheendraKulkarni #KasuriBoycott pic.twitter.com/tKS3EtEBGA

— Yagyaseni (@desi_brat) October 12, 2015

Shiv Sena and the BJP give communal politics a colorful dimension; saffron, blue, .... #SudheendraKulkarni

— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) October 12, 2015

I condemn attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni.Everybody has right to express his opinion in a democratic manner but not goondagardi.

— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) October 12, 2015

Outrageous attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni by Sena lumpens for hosting Kasuri. Kulkarni not wiping off the black face! pic.twitter.com/XO4zYCDWAK

— Malini Parthasarathy (@MaliniP) October 12, 2015

Strongly condemn the attack on @SudheenKulkarni in Mumbai. Known him as a great intellectual,a fierce patriot,an admirer of Gandhi &Vajpayee

— Deepender S Hooda (@DeependerSHooda) October 12, 2015

#sudheendrakulkarni's face blackened with paint is the image of extreme intolerance. Maharashtra CM has to crack the whip on #ShivSena

— T S Sudhir (@Iamtssudhir) October 12, 2015

This is what the #ShivSena has done to @SudheenKulkarni in Mumbai over a book; this is what we are coming to. pic.twitter.com/eqQJA7XuRi

— Sankarshan Thakur (@SankarshanT) October 12, 2015

#ShivSena thugs at it again. Blacken sudheendrakulkarni's face for Kasuri event. Clearly emboldened after tasting blood with ghulamali event

— T S Sudhir (@Iamtssudhir) October 12, 2015