Will court arrest if any saint is arrested: BJP leaders on Varanasi violence

Varanasi: BJP leaders on Thursday warned the Uttar Pradesh government against arresting any saint in connection with Monday's violence in the city, claiming police have "falsely implicated" them in the FIR.

If police would arrest any saint in connection with the violence, then the partymen would court their arrest, they said.

BJP MLC Laxman Acharya and MLAs Shyam Deo Roy Chaudhary and Jyotsana Srivastava along with party's media in-charge Sanjay Bhardwaj in a joint press conference alleged that the saints who were taking out a protest march 'Pratikar Yatra' on October 5 from Townhall to Dashashwmedh ghat have been "falsely implicated in the FIR lodged by UP police" .

Demanding withdrawal of the "false cases" lodged against seers and local people, they warned the UP government that if police would arrest any innocent seer then for saving the dignity of seers, they would go to any extent.

BJP leaders alleged that police has booked Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who led the protest march along with thousands of people including seers and political leaders.

They claimed that "police is also preparing to arrest the Swami", and BJP will not let this happen, adding that partymen "will give their own arrest if this happens". Along with Avimukteshwaranand, police has also booked Mahant Balak Das and Mahant Santosh Das along with others.

The BJP leaders also demanded a judicial inquiry into the violent incident here at Godowlia crossing so that the real culprits would be brought to book.

Violence erupted here on October 5 during a march by seers and some other locals, when some people in the crowd resorted to stone-pelting.

Thousands of people, including seers and locals, were taking out the protest march from Townhall to Dashashwamed Ghat against the incident of lathicharge on them during their dharna staged between September 21 and 23 for preventing them from immersing Ganesha idols in Ganga. On Tuesday Congress MLA Ajay Rai was arrested along with 50 others in connection with violence and arson in Varanasi.

Congress also demanded a judicial probe into the Varanasi arson and slammed the arrest of its MLA Rai, who the party claimed was trying to maintain "peace and order" as the violence erupted.