Amid ongoing protests over reservations in jobs and education for Maratha community, a man sprayed turmeric powder on Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister and senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil at a government guest house at Solapur in Western Maharashtra on Friday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Dhangar community.
Vikhe-Patil’s aides immediately grabbed the person and overpowered him, even as he shouted slogans for reservations to the Dhangar community. They handed him over to the police.
The detained person was identified as Shekhar Bangale. The minister sought to underplay the incident by saying that the incident was a “blessing” for him. He asked the police not to register a case against the detained person.