New Delhi, India - Last December’s incident of shoe-throwing at former US President George W Bush by an Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi today came back to haunt the Union home minister and Congress leader, Mr P Chidambaram, as an agitated Sikh journalist Jarnail Singh hurled his right shoe at him during a Press conference at the Congress headquarters in protest against the alleged denial of justice to the Sikh community over the 1984 anti-Sikh carnage in the national capital.
A correspondent with the Hindi daily, Dainik Jagran, Jarnail got worked up after repeatedly questioning Mr Chidambaram about the CBI’s recent clean chit to the Congress leader, Mr Jagdish Tytler over his alleged involved in the 1984 riots, wondering whether it was not done under the home ministry’s pressure ahead of the upcoming general elections in which Mr Tytler is a Congress candidate from Delhi’s North East constituency.
Mr Chidambaram answered Jarnail’s query while asking him not to indulge in a debate, but by that time Jarnail flew into a rage, flinging one of his shoes at the home minister. The incident occurred around 12.30 pm while Mr Chidambaram was addressing the Press conference after releasing a Congress pre-poll document on its pledge to protect the country from terror.
Jarnail said: “I protest”, while hurling his sports shoe at Mr Chidambaram who was shaken but managed to maintain his composure. After the scribe was taken away from the AICC briefing hall and handed over to the police, the home minister also said: “I forgive him” while describing the shoe-throwing as an “emotional act” and urging media persons to continue with the conference. Apparently in his early thirties, Jarnail was taken to the local Tughlak Road police station and was released after a brief detention without any charges being registered. “We have not registered a case, primarily because the aggrieved party (Chidambaram) does not have any complaint. He did not want to pursue the case as it was just an emotional outburst,” the deputy commissioner of police, Mr Shankar Dash, said.
The scribe was released after being questioned by a joint interrogation team comprising officers from various intelligence agencies who wanted to check “whether it was a well planned act or an act in desperation”.
Mr Chidambaram’s reply to Jarnail’s query was: “CBI’s administrative ministry is not the home ministry... neither the home ministry nor any ministry of the government has put any pressure on the CBI... CBI has only given a report to the court. It is for the court to accept or reject the report or ask CBI to do further investigation. Let us wait for the court to take a decision.” Expressing regret over his action Jarnail Singh maintained that the issue he was trying to highlight ~ “the denial of justice to Sikh victims of 1984 carnage for 25 years” ~ was “just”.
“My method of protest might be wrong, but the issue was just,” said the scribe. He said he was carried away by emotions, adding “nobody should follow my example.” He also asked the Sikh community to “maintain restraint”.
He said he did not intend to hit the minister and would like to say “sorry” to him. “I was not hitting him. I had no intention to hit him. I just wanted to protest and it happened... If I would meet him (Chidambaram), I would say sorry to him. I have nothing personal against him,” Singh said.
The Congress called it “unfortunate while the BJP condemned the incident. BJP spokesman, Mr SN Singh, said the Congress should withdraw Mr Tytler and another riots accused and Congress candidate from South Delhi, Mr Sajjan Kumar, from the fray “if it respects Sikh sentiments”. The Congress indicated its openness for a rethink, though Mr Tytler ruled out any pullout.
Iraq shoe-thrower
An Iraqi court has reduced the prison sentence for an Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at Mr George W. Bush from three years to one. as the journalist had no criminal history.