Kannada author Yogesh Master was attacked on Sunday by unidentified men in Davangere district in Karnataka and his face was smeared with black oil by ten men who came on bikes.

Speaking to The Hindu, the author said, “I was drinking tea at a nearby stall when a group of people, who were buying some books, suddenly attacked me with black oil. The gang raised pro-Hindu and right-wing slogans, and threatened to kill me for writing against Hindu Gods. They used foul language and pulled my hair. It was a physical attack that left a deep mental impact,” adding that he could identify the attackers.

Master was attending a book release function organised by ‘Lankesh Patrike’, a local tabloid run by journalist Gauri Lankesh, a PTI report said. 

“Yogesh Master was attacked by eight or nine persons who smeared his face with black ink and fled, when he was having tea at a nearby stall here yesterday,” Davanagere Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled told PTI on Monday.

Reacting to the incident, the event organisers including Lankesh and CPI State General Secretary Siddanagouda Patil organised a protest march and filed a police complaint.

“Apart from arresting the perpetrators of the crime, the conspiracy behind the attack should also be uncovered,” Lankesh told The Hindu.

Four teams have been formed to carry out the investigation, Davangere SP told The Hindu.    

Master had written the controversial novel Dundhi for which he faced arrest in August 2013. The portrayal of Lord Ganesh in his book was found to be offensive by some Hindu outfits. A case was filed against him under Sections 295 A IPC and 298 IPC. The two sections are related to insult of religious sentiments.