Islamabad: The Shiv Sena has shown its "utter intolerance and unadulterated hatred towards all things Pakistani" by blackening the face of veteran journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni over former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book, a Pakistani daily said on Tuesday.
An editorial "Shiv Sena’s Vandalism" in The Nation said: "Shiv Sena has once again shown its utter intolerance and unadulterated hatred towards all things Pakistani, as activists attacked Kulkarni" on Monday.
A group of Shiv Sainiks threw black oil paint on Kulkarni's face ahead of the launch of Kasuri's book "Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy".
Kulkarni was organising the release function of the book.
Kulkarni's "grit and resolve to go forward with the launch despite this act of vandalism is surely commendable", the daily said.
The Shiv Sena has owned up to the assault, labelling him a Pakistani agent. "The party has further claimed that it will not compromise when it comes to the issue of Pakistanis being allowed to hold functions in the state and this stance is nothing new."
Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains tight lipped on the actions of the Shiv Sena, "many others are voicing out their distaste for the party’s extremist stance", said the editorial.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday slammed the Shiv Sena.
"...it is a positive sign that the party faces criticism instead of the usual free rein that it gets to do whatever it well pleases," the daily added.