Journalist throws shoe at P. Chidambaram in New Delhi

In what is India’s first “Shoegate” incident, a journalist hurled a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram during a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Jarnail Singh, a journalist working for a Hindi daily, took the drastic step to protest the clean chit given by the CBI to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, who is an accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Earlier this month, the CBI had sought the Supreme Court’s permission to close the case against Tytler.

A bemused Chidambaram, who took evasive action to avoid being hit, said “gently, gently” as security personnel whisked Singh away. “Let not the action of one emotional person hijack the entire press conference. I have answered his questions to the best of my ability,” he added.