India shoe-thrower released without charge

NEW DELHI, April 7 (UPI) -- An angry Sikh journalist who threw his shoe at India's home minister in New Delhi was released Tuesday without charge, police say.

Jarnail Singh, identified as a longtime correspondent with the Hindi language daily newspaper Dainik Jagran, was taken away by security guards from a news conference with Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram after hurling his sneaker at the Cabinet member, CNN reported.

The shoe barely missed Chidambaram's face, who called for calm after the incident. Singh was later released without charges, Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told the U.S. broadcaster.

Singh was angered by Chidambaram's refusal to answer a question about the nomination by his Congress Party of a lawmaker who was accused of fanning mob actions against Sikh minority members following the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

CNN reported that India's federal police recommended withdrawal of the case against the lawmaker, Jagdish Tytler, due to lack of credible evidence.