Mr Arvind Kejriwal, RTI activist and a senior member of Team Anna, was the target of a shoe attack in Lucknow on Tuesday where he had arrived to address a meeting of India Against Corruption (IAC).
Mr Kejriwal arrived at the Jhulelal Park around 6.40 pm and just as he was alighting from his car, a man in his forties lunged forward and threw a shoe at the RTI activist. The shoe missed the target.
The man, later identified as Jitendra Pathak, was immediately overpowered and beaten by IAC activists who were there to welcome Mr Kejriwal. The man was taken into custody by the police and whisked off to a nearby temple.
Mr Kejriwal was safely escorted to the dais.
Jitendra Pathak later told reporters that he had no personal enmity with Mr Kejriwal and, in fact, respected him.
“Main unki izzat karta hoon. I attacked him because he is misleading the nation,” he said.
Mr Pathak belongs to Jalaun district and his political affiliations are not yet known.
A senior police official said that they would investigate his antecedents and then ascertain the real motive behind the attack.
Meanwhile, Mr Kejriwal’s security has been beefed up.
Later, Mr Kejriwal conveyed through IAC members that Mr Pathak should be forgiven and released. He said that he would continue with his tour in UP as scheduled earlier.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Kejriwal explained the main features of the Jan Lokpal Bill and sought people’s support on the issue.