Swami Prasad Maurya Attacked on Stage: Political Rifts Laid Bare
A public event in Raebareli took a shocking turn on August 6, 2025, when former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya was slapped mid-ceremony. The attacker, a man linked to the Karni Sena—a group known for its aggressive defense of Hindu interests—walked up to Maurya, pretended to honor him with a garland, and instead struck him across the face. The scene left both supporters and security stunned, breaking the routine calm of a typically local political meet.
Quickly, Maurya's aides tackled the suspect and handed him over to the police. The atmosphere tensed up instantly as supporters and bystanders demanded action, angry at the breach in security that let an assailant get so close to their leader. Later, officials confirmed they had detained not just the main accused, but a second person reportedly involved. Authorities rolled out more police patrols in the area, trying to keep things from boiling over.
Political Accusations Fly After Assault
Maurya didn’t mince words after the attack. Speaking to the press, he blamed the Karni Sena and even suggested a much bigger political conspiracy. According to him, the assailants carried out the attack with the direct or indirect backing of the Yogi Adityanath-led state government. Maurya pointed out that both the Karni Sena and the chief minister belonged to the same community and accused them of protecting those who stir up street-level violence. His stinging comments put the spotlight on the ongoing tension between his camp and hardline Hindu groups that often criticize his statements.
This isn't the first time Maurya has found himself in a controversy. Back in 2023, he called Hinduism a 'deceit'—a comment that triggered outrage and street protests in several cities. That episode effectively ended his ties with the Samajwadi Party and led to the birth of his new party, the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party (RSSP). Unsurprisingly, the Karni Sena, a group with a reputation for confrontational politics and no patience for criticism of their faith, had already declared Maurya an "enemy of Hindu values." The scuffle in Raebareli only turned up the heat in this feud.
Police tried to steady nerves after the incident. Top officers promised a full investigation, strict action against those responsible, and tighter security for public figures. In the streets around the venue, Maurya’s supporters held protest marches and rallies, demanding not just justice for their leader but a crackdown on groups they consider dangerously radical. Meanwhile, the Karni Sena denied official involvement, claiming it was the spontaneous act of an angry devotee hurt by Maurya’s past remarks.
Everyone from local leaders to news anchors weighed in, making the event more than just another dust-up. With state politics in Uttar Pradesh already so tense, this slap was more than an act of personal aggression—it became the spark for a fresh round of accusations, political maneuvering, and deeper communal divides. This attack revealed just how fraught the political landscape remains, especially when hot-button religious issues won’t leave the headlines anytime soon.
