Watch: Man hurls shoe at SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, gets beaten up

The alleged assailant was taken into custody by police.

The alleged assailant being thrashed by SP Maurya's supporters. (Video screengrab/ PTI/ Twitter)

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A man dressed as an advocate hurled a shoe at Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya at a party event in Lucknow on Monday.

The shoe did not reach Maurya and his supporters beat up the alleged assailant.

VIDEO | A man dressed up as an advocate hurls shoe at Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya in Lucknow. The attacker was later roughed up by Maurya’s supporters. More details are awaited. pic.twitter.com/OQCU5G3xVE

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 21, 2023

“The accused has been taken to a hospital and further details will be known after questioning him,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Lucknow) Aniandy Vikram Singh told news agency PTI. The alleged assailant has been identified as Akash Saini and was dressed as a lawyer, according to the officer.

Saini was taken into custody by the Vibhuti Khand police.

The incident took place at SP’s one-day ‘mahasammelan’ at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan.

Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to address the event. He had not reached the venue at the time of the incident.

Maurya, a prominent OBC leader from UP had joined SP after leaving BJP right before the 2022 state Assembly elections. He was most recently in the news for his remarks on archaeological surveys of Hindu temples, and the Ramcharitmanas.

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