Union minister P Chidambaram is not only trying to tackle the issue of Naxalism in his unique way, he seems to be taking necessary precautions to avoid another serious threat as well--shoes hurled by journalists.

According to a PTI report (published in Deccan Chronicle) on Tuesday, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) asked newsmen covering Chidambaram’s function in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, to remove their footwear before entering the media enclosure near the dais. Earlier, they had been seated in back rows.hurling

However, just before they (journalists) moved closer to the dais, DSP Sahul Hameed asked them to consider the area as a place of worship and remove their footwear before entering it.

Of course, Chidambaram and his security personnel have every reason to be cautious of looming threats after he managed a narrow escape from the shoe thrown at him by a Sikh journalist, Jarnail Singh, in April this year. He needs to be even more careful as people may be inspired by writings of the Iraqi journalist who had been jailed for hurling a shoe at then US president George Bush.