Shoe thrown at SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya during party event in Lucknow

A shoe was thrown at senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya during a party event here on Monday.

The shoe did not reach up to Maurya. Party workers overpowered the alleged assailant and thrashed 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 Singh told PTI. The alleged assailant, Akash Saini, was dressed as a lawyer, the officer said.

He was taken into custody by the Vibhuti Khand police.

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

Party president 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 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 the Ramcharitmanas and Hindu temples.