"Once inked, twice shy": Days after the incident involving the Maha Minister, ink pens were prohibited from the grounds of the Maharashtra legislature

Nagpur: Following an ink attack on Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil, the state assembly in this city has increased security measures in an example of "Once inked, twice shy." All visitors to the legislature's grounds had their pens scrutinized by security, and old liquid fountain pens were prohibited—a move that officials and the media called "unprecedented." At least three MLAs told IANS that the ink pens that the MLAs and MLCs were carrying when they entered the Legislature for the Winter Session were not used.

 

All other visitors were subject to the inspection and denied admittance if they were carrying fountain pens. The development happened more than a week after Chandrakant Patil, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and minister of higher and technical education, was the subject of an ink attack for his recent comments "vilifying" historical figures. Several police officers were placed on administrative leave as a result of the incident, and a local journalist was detained for his reporting before being freed.

 

While the opposition mockingly remarked that the minister had "lost mental equilibrium" and noted that no one has ever died as a result of such ink being thrown on them, Patil asserted that the ink attack may have caused cancer if it had gone into his eyes. After receiving further threats of an ink attack, Patil was spotted last weekend on another occasion with a face helmet and increased security cover, seemingly shaken up by the incident on December 10.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @ivyasaa