A shoe was hurled at senior Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya during a party event here on Monday.

The shoe did not reach up to Maurya.

The party workers overpowered the youth who threw a shoe at Maurya and thrashed him.

A youth allegedly dressed as a lawyer hurled a shoe at SP national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow when the leader arrived to address a meeting of the backward classes.

Monday’s incident comes a day after black ink was thrown at Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Ghosi assembly bypolls, Dara Singh Chauhan during campaigning on Sunday.

Police personnel present at the site rescued the attacker, identified as Akash Saini, and took him into custody after SP workers manhandled him.

“The accused has been taken to a hospital and further details will be known after questioning him,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Lucknow) Aniandy Vikram said.

He was taken into custody by the inspector of Vibhuti Khand police station.

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

SP president Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to address the event. He had not reached the venue at the time of the incident.

Maurya, a prominent Other Backward Classes leader in Uttar Pradesh who had defected to the SP from the BJP just before the 2022 assembly elections, has been in the thick of a controversy over his remarks on Ramcharitmanas and Hindu temples and Sanatan dharma.

The incident took place around 12:30 pm when Maurya arrived at the venue. Maurya had organised the conclave to highlight the work of eminent personalities from the backward classes of society.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the incident, saying “the BJP is rattled as the people will hold the ruling party accountable during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for its misrule”.

“BJP can stoop to any low for its narrow political ends. It is difficult to anticipate as to what more is to come from the ruling party towards the opposition parties,” the SP president said.

MLC Swami Prasad Maurya said, “The electorate of Uttar Pradesh will dislodge the enemies of the OBCs and reservation from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”

Maurya alleged that the “nation is in danger as national assets like railways, airports are being privatised, creating a huge job crisis for the unemployed youth”.