Marathi writer and activist Laxman Mane’s face was on Tuesday blackened by a group of people at a press meet in central Maharashtra for allegedly demanding bribe for clearing a loan when he headed a tribal agency.
Mr Mane, a Padma Shri recipient known for his work for nomadic tribes, had hit the headlines in March this year when he was booked by Satara police in Western Maharashtra for alleged rape.
The 63-year-old was addressing a press conference at the Government Rest House regarding a programme of Nomadic Tribes Organisation (NTO), of which he is a member. At around 11.30 am, a group of people, including former Sarpanch of Bahirwadi village Asaram Gaikwad and ex-councillor of Beed
Shahaji Gaikwad — all his former supporters — barged into the venue, interrupted the conference and some of them blackened the face of Mr Mane, a former legislator.
Mr Gaikwad said Mr Mane had demanded a bribe to sanction a loan when he was the president of Vasantrao Naik Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes Development Corporation — a state government body, and this had led to the incident.
Talking to reporters, Mr Mane said he was deeply hurt by the incident, but won’t file a police complaint. “I will not file a case against these people as they are like my family. They were angry with me so they blackened my face,” he said.