Varun barred from addressing rally in Bareilly

BJP leader Varun Gandhi was on Sunday prohibited from addressing a rally in a Muslim-dominated area of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, as authorities feared it could lead to a law and order problem. However, he was permitted to hold a rally at some distance from the area.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi was on Sunday prohibited from addressing a rally in a Muslim-dominated area of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, as authorities feared it could lead to a law and order problem. However, he was permitted to hold a rally at some distance from the area.

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"We felt that Varun's rally could create a law and order problem in the district and therefore barred him from addressing the rally in Faridpur area," district magistrate R Ramesh Kumar told IANS on telephone.

After prohibiting Varun from holding the rally in Faridpur, the district authorities permitted him to hold a rally at a distance from the area.

"We have told Varun that he can hold the rally about 20 km away from Faridpur," said Kumar.

Varun was to address the rally in Faridpur to garner support for Santosh Gangwar, who is the BJP candidate for the Bareilly parliamentary seat.

Bareilly is about 250 km from Lucknow.