Two people have been arrested concerning the blackening of the face of a controversial writer, Yogesh Master, at a function held in Davangere on Monday. Shivaprakash and Chetan were detained by Davangere police. The detained were reportedly belonging to the right wing Hindu Jagaran Vedike.
The event took place when Master was sipping tea at a road-side shop near Bapuji Dental College. He had just participated in the 82nd birth anniversary of renowned Kannada writer and journalist P. Lankesh. The function was organized by Gowri Lankesh Patrike at Kuvempu Kannada Bhavan.
The accused smeared Yogesh’s face with the black ink for defaming the Hindu gods in his novels. The incident invited a sudden protest by progressive writers and activists condemning the violence.
The Badavane police had filed a case and detained the culprits on Monday after the complaint. In the meantime, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah conveyed his shock over the incident. He said that orders had been given to the Davangere police to take severe action against the accused.
