Shoe hurled at Delhi’s chief minister over anti-pollution ‘scam’ (VIDEO)
Much like George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has fallen foul of the classic “throwing a shoe at a politician” protest.
During a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday a member of Aam Aadmi Sena, a splinter group of Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, hurled a shoe at the government boss.
The footwear fell short of its target, with the shoe-thrower, Ved Prakash, then dragged out of the room, with some fellow attendees punching and slapping him as he passed.
Kejriwal and two of his ministers were detailing the second phase of Delhi’s pollution control initiative when the shoe was thrown.
WATCH: Shoe hurled at CM Arvind Kejriwal during a press conference in Delhi, man detainedhttps://t.co/T6RUIxNFvi
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 9, 2016
The scheme, which already ran once in January and is being repeated from April 15, sees cars with odd and even registration numbers being allowed use the roads on alternate days in an attempt to reduce Delhi’s pollution levels.
Kejriwal practicing how to catch the next shoe hurled at him ... pic.twitter.com/fG1jTnWNUC
— The-Lying-Lama (@KyaUkhaadLega) April 10, 2016
Strongly condemn the shoe throwing incidence aimed at Shri Kejriwal. This is not the way to express discontent
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) April 9, 2016
There are a number of exceptions to this core principle though, such as medical emergencies or cars carrying schoolchildren. Cars which run on compressed natural gas (CNG) are also exempt.
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It was this point that frustrated Prakash. Prior to throwing his shoe, the protester shouted accusations of the government’s involvement in a “CNG fitness scam” whereby people are buying fake CNG stickers - two of which Prakash also threw - allowing the owners to use the roads regardless of the odd-even scheme.
Prakash was arrested and charged by police shortly after the incident, reported NDTV.
In January, a fellow member of Aam Aadmi Sena confronted Kejriwal in a similar manner, throwing ink at him during the initial launch of the odd-even scheme and also making CNG scam accusations, the Indian Express reported.
A number of high-profile politicians have had shoes thrown at them during their political careers, with more recent examples including George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton.
READ MORE: Feds charge woman who hurled shoe at Hillary Clinton
Bush was the target during a press conference in Baghdad in 2008, while Clinton was forced to duck during a speech she was giving in Las Vegas in 2014.
