Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav was lathi-charged, along with other party workers, by the Uttar Pradesh police during a protest in Prayagraj (erstwhile Allahabad) on Tuesday, 12 February.
The protests were triggered after the Yogi government denied Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav the permission to travel to the city.
The protesters were led by Budayun MP Dharmendra Yadav, Phulpur MP Nagendra Patel and Gorakhpur MP Praveen Nishad, IANS reported.
Heavy security has been deployed in Prayagraj, especially near the high court premises where the protests are taking place. Rapid Action Force (RAF) has also been put on duty, the report added.
Similar protests broke out in many other places including Budayun, Sambhal, Mainpuri and Etah.
Earlier on Tuesday, Yadav claimed that the UP police forces had stopped him at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport to prevent him from visiting Prayagraj to attend an oath-taking ceremony at Allahabad University. CM Adityanath, however, later claimed that it was done to maintain law and order in the city.
(With inputs from IANS)
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