(Image source from: rollingstone.com)

Indian American Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was answering a question on equal pay when a protester took the stage and grabbed the microphone from her hand at an event in San Francisco.

Just about 10 minutes into her speech at MoveOn's Big Ideas Forum on Saturday, Harris was asked on her proposal to address the gender pay gap by moderator Stephanie Valencia when she was approached by a tall man dressed in black and wearing a press tag who jumped on the stage, the CNN reported.

The 54-year-old Senator seemed puzzled but remained calm as the protester grabbed the mic from her hand, it said.

While taking the microphone, the protester, identified as 24-year-old animal rights activist named Aidan Cook, said he wanted her attention for a "much bigger idea" than the gender gap she had been speaking about.

Harris calmly walked away from the protester as a number of people, including Harris' husband Douglas Emhoff, managed to distance the protester, who was resisting to leave the stage, from the event.

No charge was imposed on Cook for his action. After Cook's removal, Harris returned to the stage and continued her speech. Meanwhile, MoveOn, the liberal advocacy group behind the event, has said they "severely regret" the security failing.

Harris is one of more than a dozen anticipants for the Democratic nomination who are in San Francisco for California's Democratic convention. She is one of six women who have announced their candidacy so far.

By Sowmya Sangam