Lucknow : Violence erupted in the temple town of Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday as Hindu religious groups, which were taking out a ‘Pratikar Yatra’ to protest against a lathi charge and ban on immersion of idols in Ganga, turned violent.
A curfew was imposed in parts of the city and later lifted. Late in the night, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to SSP of Varanasi and took stock of the situation.
A march of sadhus and saints in Varanasi turned violent when some protestors threw stones at policemen on the roadside. The procession was led by Swami Avimukteshawaranand Saraswati and was moving towards Dasha-shwamedh ghat. The trouble makers allegedly belonged to the Hindu Yuva Vahini.
The police then resorted to lathicharge and tear gas shelling to turn away the violent demonstrators. Several persons were injured.
Incidentally the agitators were protesting the police lathi charge on a religious procession on September 22 that was heading towards Ganga to immerse Ganesha idol in the suburbs of Varanasi.