Uttar Pradesh BJP chief detained in Allahabad

Tripathi is detained by police near Allahabad while he was on going towards the violence-hit district of Gorakhpur.

Uttar Pradesh BJP president Keshri Nath Tripathi was detained on Tuesday by police near Allahabad while he was on going towards the violence-hit district of Gorakhpur.

HT Image

Tripathi was detained on the Allahabad-Pratapgarh highway in Soraon as a preventive measure and was released later, Senior Superintendent of Police BD Palson said.

The BJP leader along with former minister and MLA Narendra Kumar Singh Gaur and other activists blocked traffic on the highway in protest against the Mulayam Singh Yadav government's alleged attempts to "appease one community while hurting the sentiments of another".

Protesters on Monday indulged in rampant violence torching several vehicles and attempting to set a train on fire prompting clamping of curfew in some areas in Gorakhpur as tension gripped parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh after a local BJP MP's arrest.

Local MP Yogi Adityanath was arrested on Sunday night.