Swami Prasad Maurya shown black flags by right-wing group, two arrested
The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi.
Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya was on Sunday shown black flags by members of Hindu Jagran Manch, a right-wing group, in Kaushambi, with the group saying that their protest against Maurya was due to his repeated 'objectionable utterances against Hindu deities.’
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In a visual shared by news agency ANI, protesters can be seen waving black flags at Murya's convoy, even as police personnel on duty try to push the demonstrators back.
According to HT's sister publication Live Hindustan, the protesters also raised ‘Murdabad’ slogans against the SP leader. The former minister was in Kaushambi to attend the National Buddha Festival.
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Two Hindu Jagran Manch demonstrators have been arrested in connection with the incident, according to the police.
“National Buddha Festival was held on February 4 and Swami Prasad Maurya was going to participate in it. While he was on his way, some people came in front of his convoy and showed him black flags,” the police statement read.
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The veteran politician, 70, joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP in January 2022, leaving the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of that year's assembly elections, held between February and March. While the BJP won the state polls, Maurya lost from the Fazilnagar constituency, and was later made an MLC.
