Far-right Hindu nationalists in Mumbai have doused the head of an Indian think-tank in black ink in protest at the launch of a book by a former Pakistani foreign minister.
The Shiv Sena party said the ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni was a form of “peaceful protest” against Pakistan.
The party later cancelled a planned protest at the launch of Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book amid an outcry.
Mr Kulkarni called the incident “an attack on democracy”
He was later admitted to hospital to have the ink removed.
The Shiv Sena party is a junior coalition partner in the Maharashtra state government, which is ruled by India’s governing BJP.
The party was founded in 1966 to keep south Indian migrants out of Maharashtra state and to halt the spread of Islam.
Over time, it has acquired a reputation for promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism while allegedly targeting minorities, especially Muslims.
