Sena protests against Kulkarni for hosting Pak photo journalists

In yet another attack on Observer Research Foundation (ORF) chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sena activists on Tuesday tried to disrupt his press conference in South Mumbai for inviting Pakistani photo journalists to the city under a peace initiative.

The incident occurred at Press Club when Sena workers barged into the venue, despite the security arrangement and raised slogans against Kulkarni and against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism. The Pakistani photo journalists were also present at the presser when the incident took place. The activists were detained by police and taken to Azad Maidan police station.

The Sena activists had last year smeared Kulkarni’s face with black ink for organising a function to launch a book written by former Pakistan foreign minister Khursid Mehmood Kasuri. Kulkarni’s ORF has launched a project ‘Tasveer-e-Karachi’ ‘Tasveer-e-Mumbai’, under which five photographers visit each other’s countries as “messengers of peace”.

While the five photo journalists from Pakistan arrived in the city on June 20 and will return on June 30, the Indian contingent is expected to travel to Karachi in the first week of July. Unfazed by the ruckus, Kulkarni said, “They (Shiv Sena) threatened us saying we should not allow any Pakistani to enter Mumbai. Inspite of their threat, we conducted a programme last year for the release of Khursid Mehmood Kasuri's book in Mumbai. We shall do so again and again.”