Indian minister targeted by copycat shoe thrower
The shoe missed Palaniappan Chidambaram, who leaned back to avoid it. He later smiled and asked security guards to take the reporter out of the room. "Please take him away, gently, gently, gently, doesn't matter, please settle down, please settle down," Chidambaram said as commotion broke out at the press conference. The reporter was seen being taken away by plainclothes police who tried to stop him from speaking to reporters. It was not immediately clear if he had been arrested. Chidambaram continued taking questions as officials escorted the journalist away.
Local television channels identified the journalist as Jarnail Singh of the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, one of India’s largest newspapers. The Sikh journalist was angered by the minister's response to a question related to the alleged involvement of ruling Congress party officials in 1984 anti-Sikh riots that left thousands dead.
Throwing a shoe at someone is considered an insult in India. This was the latest incident of shoe-throwing as a mark of protest against political leaders, including former US President George W. Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
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