Pune: Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author Pradeep Kokare was stopped from entering the Sahitya Sammelan for a strange reason.

The winner of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 claimed on Saturday that police stopped him at the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan for wearing a black shirt.

“Police personnel deployed at the gate stopped me as I was wearing a black shirt. They told me black clothing was not allowed as Maharashtra CM (Devendra) Fadnavis was attending the event,” said Kokare, whose book ‘Khol Khol Dushkal Dole’ was rewarded with Sahitya Akademi award.

CM inaugurated the event in Satara on Friday.

“I’ve been attending Marathi sahitya sammelans since 2019, but never have I been stopped for wearing black,” said the furious 29-year-old writer.

“When I argued on the issue, police reiterated that no one wearing black clothes would be permitted entry as the chief minister was present at the venue,” said Kokare, adding he was representing a publishing house that had set up two stalls at the event and wanted to interact with readers.

Kokare said if black was considered objectionable for being a symbol of protest, the organisers should have clearly mentioned it in bold letters on the invitation card, so that people would be aware of the advisory.

“I never imagined such a diktat would be enforced at a literary meet. This is nonsensical. If black colour is equated with rebellion at a literary meet, and if people are judged based on the colour of clothes they wear, then such an incident is not good for democracy,” Kokare remarked.

After a 15-minute argument with the police, Kokare, a senior editor with the publishing house Popular Prakashan, was allowed to enter the venue. “I wasn’t interested in the inauguration; I wanted to meet readers at the two stalls we had put up,” he said.

Satara SP Tushar Joshi said the force had received memorandums and inputs from some outfits that black flags would be shown to CM Fadnavis during the event, reported PTI.

“As a precautionary measure, black shirts etc were not allowed at the event,” Joshi said.