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Arun Shourie roughed up in Bombay

Our Correspondent in Bombay

Arun Shourie, Union Minister of State for Divestment, Statistics, Administrative Reforms, Programme Implementation and Planning, was manhandled at a public function in Bombay on Saturday by a group of youth, suspected to be activists of the Republican Party of India.

It is not known what was the immediate provocation for the assault.

The incident occurred at the Y B Chavan Centre in south Bombay, where Shourie was to present the Lalit Doshi memorial award and deliver a lecture in memory of the late civil servant.

After the prize distribution, when it was announced that Shourie would speak, two persons from the balcony went on to the dais and caught the minister by his collar.

Witnesses said the minister stepped back in a reflex action. The ensuing fracas saw Shourie's shirt and vest being torn.

Some organisers on the dais who tried to rescue Shourie were also roughed up, in full view of the audience, before plainclothes policemen restored order.

Among those in the audience were Mahindra & Mahindra managing director Anand Mahindra, Maharashtra chief secretary Arun Bongirwar, Bombay Sheriff Agustine Pinto and Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej.

The attackers were taken away to the nearby Cuffe Parade police station and arrested. Inspector Marathe told rediff.com that there were about 20 persons, but some media reports put the figure ranging from 20 to 100.

The organisers quickly arranged for a new shirt for Shourie and the minister went on to deliver an extempore lecture on 'Turning India Towards the Future'.

He denounced the attack and said even Dr B R Ambedkar, whom the RPI venerates, would not have approved of it.

The RPI is seen as a party that espouses the cause of dalits, an expression commonly used to describe the downtrodden, the underprivileged and exploited who belong to the so-called lowest castes in India.

Ambedkar, Independent India's first law minister, is the author of India's Constitution and is the greatest leader of dalits.

Shourie went on to speak passionately on the ills plaguing the economy and drew comparisons with neighbouring China's pragmatic and successful approach to development. He sought to dispel misconceptions that India would suffer in the imminent regime of the World Trade Organisation. He urged the intelligentsia to lay thrust on evolving finely detailed solutions to long-standing problems.

Shourie had apparently cautioned the police that he expected trouble. A similar incident occurred in Pune a few years back.

An organiser of Saturday's programme later said Shourie was not really ruffled, but was unhappy that the incident was not prevented.

Shourie, former journalist, editor and writer, has been under fire from the dalits. They have been unhappy over Shourie's "uncharitable portrayal" of Ambedkar in a book published about three years ago.

Shourie's book, Worshipping False Gods, had attempted to debunk ''myths and half-truths'' about Ambedkar and his ''contribution to the Indian freedom struggle and the Constitution''.

Publication of the book spawned a controversy marked by denouncements by dalit writers and politicians.

After the event, Shourie had a closed-door meeting with senior police officials on duty at the venue to review security arrangements. Later, he interacted with a select gathering that included Bongirwar.

Spotting an old friend, Shourie held him by his hand and announced, "He is the one who saved me from Datta Samant once. I'm so glad you are here today for my lecture."

As admirers lined up for autographs on his books, Shourie's departure from the venue was delayed by a few minutes.

An invitee, Narendra Bharadwaj, in his 60s, said he admired the Shourie family for their contribution to India in various spheres. "His father is known for his relentless activism for the benefit of consumers. His brother is a marketing guru. His sister is a famous media personality. Arun Shourie is also a well-known economist. And what has Bombay done today? It insulted a great son of the soil. Bombay's authorities could have easily prevented the incident. I'm shameful of being a Bombayite today."

Some media reports stated that the RPI has owned up responsibility for slogan-shouting at the venue but not the assault on Shourie.

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