Patna, Oct 4 (IANS): Union Minister Smriti Irani was shown black flags on Thursday by Swarn Sena activists in Bihar's Gopalganj district, following which angry BJP and its Yuva Morcha workers severely beat up a protestor, police said.

"Some youths waved black flags at her and shouted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party. A protesting youth was caught by BJP supporters and thrashed before police rescued him," a district police official said..

Smriti Irani had gone to Gopalganj to attend a party function. Before her arrival, Swarn Sena activists tore her posters on the walls or smeared them with black paint.

In the last 10 days, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Ashwani Choubey, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and two party MPs -- Bihar BJP President Nityanand Rai and Bhojpuri actor turned politician Manoj Tiwari -- were shown black flags by the Swarn Sena activists at different places in Bihar.

The activists of the upper castes' organisation were protesting against restoration of the provision of immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that had been removed by the March 20 Supreme Court verdict.

The protesters also shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that though the BJP was voted to power due to their overwhelming support in 2014, the party was acting against the interests of the upper castes.