The Uttar Pradesh government will not allow the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to hold the grand finale of its 84 Kosi Parikrama Yatra in Makhoda in Basti district on Friday.
“The ban imposed on the VHP yatra continues and we will not allow any event related to it to take place. Directives have been issued to the concerned officials in all the six districts around Ayodhya and no function will be allowed to be held,” said IG (STF) Ashish Gupta while talking to reporters.
The IG informed that former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti was arrested in Basti on Thursday and Mr Vinay Katiyar has been placed under house arrest in Faizabad. Sixty six saints and seers who were on their way to Basti from Orissa and Bihar have been arrested from Nawabganj in Gonda district. The official, while replying to a question, said that sufficient deployment of security forces, including para-military forces had been made in the six districts without withdrawing any forces from western UP.
Meanwhile, the UP government has arrested at least 66 seers and some top VHP leaders besides putting senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar under house arrest ahead of the concluding day of VHP’s banned 84 kosi yatra.
IG Ashish Gupta told reporters here that VHP leader Ram Vilas Vedanti was arrested in Basti, while senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar was kept under house arrest in Faizabad.