The entire episode was captured on video and quickly went viral on social media. Following the incident, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav condemned the actions as “another instance of the rising disrespect and atrocities” against the PDA community.
In a post on X, he expressed, “The violent attack on the senior leader, Shri Mahendra Rajbhar Ji is yet another regrettable indication of the increasing disrespect and atrocities faced by the ‘PDA community’ during the reign of the BJP.”
वयोवृद्ध और वरिष्ठ नेता श्री महेंद्र राजभर जी पर हुआ हिंसक हमला भाजपा के राज में ‘पीडीए समाज’ पर लगातार बढ़ते जा रहे अपमानजनक व्यवहार और अत्याचार का एक और निंदनीय उदाहरण है।
भाजपा अगर सोचती है कि वो किसी समाज को अंदर से तोड़कर अपनी विभाजनकारी राजनीति को बनाए रखेगी तो ये उसकी… pic.twitter.com/HdVEhyzDs3— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 10, 2025
“Violence is simply a sign of desperation. The BJP should recognize that such actions will not diminish the spirit of the PDA, but rather strengthen it,” Yadav continued. He used the term PDA to represent ‘pichde’ (backward classes), Dalits, and ‘alpsankhyak’ (minorities).
The event was organized for a ‘bhoomi pujan’ in preparation for erecting a statue of the esteemed Rajbhar figure in the Rajbhar-centric Zafarabad Assembly constituency. Mahendra Rajbhar, a native of Mau district, served as the chief guest for the gathering.
During the festivities, Brijesh Rajbhar, a party associate, first garlanded Mahendra before slapping him several times in full public view.
Following this, Mahendra accused Om Prakash Rajbhar, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister and head of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), of orchestrating the strike. He later lodged a complaint at the Jalalpur police station, identifying Brijesh Rajbhar as the attacker.
In discussions with reporters, he claimed that Brijesh had met Om Prakash Rajbhar several days prior to the event and conspired to carry out the assault under his instruction.
“Brijesh was once a member of my party, but he currently holds no official role. I don’t understand how or why he attended the event or who invited him. There are no internal conflicts in the party or any financial disputes,” Mahendra stated, as reported by PTI.
Previously, Mahendra was affiliated with the SBSP, where he served as the national vice-president before breaking away to form his party prior to the 2022 Assembly elections.
