Mumbai, Dec 9 (PTI) Union minister Ramdas Athawale has been slapped by a man at a public event in Maharashtra's Ambernath town, police said.

The incident took place Saturday night as the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment was coming down from the stage, a police official said.

The accused has been identified as Pravin Gosavi. He was later beaten up by Athwale's supporters.

Gosavi has been shifted to the state-run J J hospital in Mumbai after receiving initial treatment in Ambernath, police said.

The motive behind the attack was not known and police are investigating the matter.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)