PUNE: Pimpri Chinchwad police have invoked charges of attempt to murder against the three people for throwing ink at senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil on Saturday. The police had arrested the accused Manoj Gharbade, Dhananjay Ejgaj and Vijay Hohal and were granted three days police custody by the court. A TV journalist has also been arrested.
BJP minister Chandrakant Patil had stirred the controversy saying that the social reformer Mahatma Phule, DR BR Ambedkar, Karmavir Bhaurao Patil and others had begged and ran the schools, but never took the grant from the government.
Oppositions and various social activists had condemned the statement of Mr Patil and demanded an apology. Patil later extended an apology and said his statement was twisted and he had no intentions to hurt the social reformers and their followers.
Advocate Sachin Bhosale for the accused, “They threw ink in protest against the controversial remarks by the BJP minister against social reformers. We can understand charges like interfering with the government work, but the police have put serious charges that have nothing to do with the act. We will go to the High Court,” said Bhosale.
Meanwhile, 11 police officers, who were part of Chandrakant Patil’s security when a face -blackening incident took place, were suspended. Patil had even demanded action against the journalist who took his blackened photograph. Patil even threatened that if the journalists are not arrested, then he will protest in police stations. Journalist Associations condemned the threatening language by the minister.