Maharashtra minister given ‘milk bath’ after ink attack, apologises

In a public display of blind faith, NCP workers bathed Maharashtra labour minister and party leader Hasan Mushrif in milk to ‘purify’ him from an ink attack by a fellow worker. The incident in Kolhapur on Friday ironically occurred in a state which is the first in the country to pass a legislation against superstition. As the incident sparked an outrage, Mushrif has apologised for the action of his supporters giving him a ‘milk bath’ to ‘purify’ him.

On Thursday, an NCP worker walked to the stage at a public function in Buldhana where Mushrif was seated and poured black ink on him. NCP workers caught the man, identified as Namdeo Dongardive, and handed him over to the police.

When Mushrif reached Kolhapur the next day to attend a meeting of the party workers, his followers asked him to sit on a chair and then poured milk on the minister to ‘purify’ him. The milk was brought in cans and steel tumblers with TV footage showing some of his supporters taking photographs of the minister while he was being drenched in milk.

‘I apologise for what my followers have done. I was not aware and did not realise what they are doing. Otherwise, I would have stopped them. I was baffled both the times, when they poured milk on me and when the party worker poured ink on me,’ Mushrif said.

The supporters had also poured milk on Mushrif’s photo and burnt an effigy of Dongardive.