Summary:
Pune, Dec 10 (PTI) Ink was thrown at senior Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil in Pimpri city near here on Saturday in apparent protest against his controversial remark about Dr B R Ambedkar and social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.
The police detained three men who were allegedly involved in the act and further investigation was underway, a senior official said.
A video of the incident showed a man throwing ink at the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader as he emerged out of a building.
Security personnel around the minister immediately caught hold of him and his two associates.
Before the incident of ink throwing, some protesters also tried to show black flags to the minister"s convoy in Pimpri.
Speaking in Marathi at an event in Aurangabad on Friday, Patil, the Higher and Technical Education Minister, had said that Ambedkar and Phule did not seek government grants for running educational institutions, they "begged" to people to gather funds for starting schools and colleges.
The use of the word "begged" stirred up a controversy.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday night, Patil said he was not afraid of such attacks, and all opposition leaders should condemn it.
"My statement was misunderstood," he said.
He also appealed to BJP workers to follow state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule"s instructions about how they should react, and not to take the law into their hands.
He has requested deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to take any action against any police officer or personnel for the security lapse, Patil said.
Speaking in Nagpur, Fadnavis said the incident in Pimpri was very unfortunate.
Even if Patil used the wrong word, one should try to understand what he meant, Fadnavis told reporters.
All he was trying to convey was that people such as Dr Ambedkar or educationist Bhaurao Patil did not take money from the government to run educational institutes, the BJP leader said.
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