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It’s not even been a week since the hoopla around the paint attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni has died down and the Shiv Sena is back with a bang.
For long, the Shiv Sena has been known to use protests, violence and bullying and to create a general fear across the state of Maharashtra.
On Monday, they were at it again with members of the party storming the offices of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, protesting the talks its chief was to have with its Pakistan counterpart about a bilateral series.
Rediff.com presents few other instances when the Sena created a furore through its protests.
1) Paint attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni
On October 12, well-known columnist and socio-political-activist Sudheendra Kulkarni's face was smeared by black paint by some Shiv Sena workers. The attack came in the backdrop of Kulkarni’s refusal to cancel an event of a book launch of former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Mumbai over Shiv Sena’s demand.
Reacting to the attack, the Sena had said that ‘it was a mild form of protest’ and the paint signified the blood of our martyred soldiers at the border. The party also went on to liken Kulkarni to Kasab, saying that with ‘people like Kulkarni, Pakistan didn’t need to send Kasabs to India.
2) Banning Ghulam Ali’s concert
A scheduled Mumbai concert by acclaimed Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali was called off following threats of a protest from the Shiv Sena. The concert, which was to be held on October 9, was being organised in the memory of ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.
However, Sena remained adamant in its demands that the nation needs to avoid all cultural associations with a country like Pakistan which kills Indian soldiers.
The event created much outrage following which Ali was invited by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to perform in the nation’s Capital.
3) Force feeding a Muslim during Ramzan
On July 23, 2014 a huge controversy erupted after a video emerged of 11 Shiv Sena Members of Parliament forcing a Muslim worker to break his Ramzan fast and eat a chapati, at the Maharashtra Sadan. The MPs were apparently dissatisfied by the fact that they had not been served Maharashtrian food.
4) Sena protests against SRK’s My Name is Khan
In 2010, Shah Rukh Khan faced the ire of Shiv Sena after he stated that he would like Pakistani cricketers to participate in the third season of Indian Premiere League. The political party even threatened to stall the release of his film My Name Is Khan. Shah Rukh Khan reacted on Twitter saying: “Sad my statements are seen as a stand against a group instead of a stand for myself and my individuality. Differences in ideology should be grounds for debates & discussion. A must for freedom of thought. To see it any other way is so unfortunate.”
5) Against V-Day (Every Single Year)
The Shiv Sena, every year, no matter what, protests against Valentine’s Day. According to the Sena, the holiday represents a dire threat to traditional Indian values and represent part of what they believe is a conspiracy by the West to destroy Indian culture. They also associate it with rampant globalization and exploitation by western nations.