According to news agency, journalist Nikhil Wagle was heading to an event on Friday when he allegedly came under attack in Pune in his car by BJP activists. Wagle’s comments criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and LK Advani during the ruling party patriarch’s Bharat Ratna award infuriated the saffron party workers.
According to an official from the Deccan police station, BJP members threw ink on the car carrying Wagle and two other people, Aseem Sarode and Vishwambhar Choudhary, who were being driven under police protection to the Rashtra Seva Dal-organized ‘Nirbhay Bano’ event in the Singhad Road area here.
Images shown on television showed BJP workers attacking and damaging the automobile near Khandoji Baba Chowk, smashing the windscreen and side windows.
Wagle managed to reach the venue of the event under police protection.
Addressing the ‘Nirbhay Bano’ event, Wagle said, “I forgive all those who attacked me. I have been attacked six times earlier and this was the seventh.”
Earlier, there was a stalemate between workers from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena outside the Rashtra Seva Dal premises. The demonstrators claimed they would now let Wagle speak at the event.
A complaint was filed against Wagle earlier in the day for allegedly uttering derogatory comments about Advani and Prime Minister Modi.
“Nikhil Wagle has been booked under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Vishrambaug police station. We are probing the matter further,” the official said.
At the Vishrambaug police station, senior BJP leader Sunil Deodhar had lodged a complaint against the 64-year-old journalist.
After the Centre declared that Advani will get India’s highest civilian accolade, the Bharat Ratna, the senior journalist made the claimed defamatory remarks about Modi and Advani on social media X.
Additionally, the Pune BJP had asked the police to refuse permission for the “Nirbhay Bano” event.
Pune city Shiv Sena president Pramod Bhangire said they were not opposing the event but only the participation of Wagle.
“We condemn Wagle’s remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP veteran L K Advani. By making such remarks in his social media posts, he has created a rift between communities,” Bhangire said.
Opposition parties hit out at the Maharashtra government over the attack on Wagle’s car.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut said, “Brazen Bid to murder democracy by BJP in Pune”.
Rau said that the BJP workers threw eggs and ink on Wagle’s car.
“Senior journalist Nikhil Wagle’s car smashed, ink, eggs thrown at his car.. Brazen Bid to murder democracy by BJP in Pune… MVA will not be deterred, Shame on you Devendra Fadnavis, you are ordering your cadre to harm and injure hapless daughters of Maharashtra…Maharashtra will not forgive you,” Sanjay Raut wrote on social media platform X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also reacted to the Pune incident. “Less than 24 hours since the untimely and unfortunate killing of our former corporator, Abhishek Ghosalkar and now we have this attack on activists who are critical of the BJP. Goondagardi under the gundaraj,” Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on X.
