Marathi writer and activist Laxman Mane's face was today blackened by a group of people at a press meet here in central Maharashtra for allegedly demanding bribe for clearing a loan when he headed a tribal agency.
Mane, a Padma Shri recipient known for his work for nomadic tribes, had hit the headlines in March this year when he was booked by Satara police in Western Maharashtra for alleged rape.
The 63-year-old was addressing a press conference at the Government Rest House here regarding a programme of Nomadic Tribes Organisation (NTO), of which he is a member.
At 11.30 am, a group of people, including former Sarpanch of Bahirwadi village Asaram Gaikwad and ex-Councillor of Beed Shahaji Gaikwad - all his former supporters - barged into the venue, interrupted the conference and some of them blackened the face of Mane, a former legislator.
Asaram Gaikwad said Mane had demanded a bribe to sanction a loan when he was President of Vasantrao Naik Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes Development Corporation - a state government body - and this had led to today's incident.
Asaram Gaikwad did not give details about the bribe demand. The former Sarpanch said he had been a supporter of Mane for 20 years but became disillusioned with him after he "betrayed" the trust of tribals.
Talking to reporters later, Mane said he was deeply hurt by the incident but won't file a police complaint.
"I will not file a case against these people as they are like my family members. They were angry with me so they blackened my face," he said.
Asked about the rape case, the writer-activist, who won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981, said "these are mere allegations which are yet to be proven in a court of law."
Three women working at a tribal residential school in Satara had accused him of rape.
