Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Akhilesh Yadav taken into custody over sit-in protest

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was detained on Monday as he sat on a dharna outside his Vikramaditya Marg residence in Lucknow after he was not allowed to go to Lakhimpur.

The SP chief had announced plans to visit Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people were killed on Sunday as violence erupted during a farmers' protest ahead of a visit by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

On Monday morning, security was beefed up outside his home and police trucks placed to block the road and restrict any movement, following which he sat on the dharna with party leaders Ram Gopal Yadav, MLC Anand Bhadauria and others.

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Hundreds of party workers also gathered outside the house, and a heavy police force was deployed in the area.

"Vehicles are being run over those who raise their voices. We want the arrest of the minister and his son in the Lakhimpur incident," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here.

A police jeep parked in front of the Gautam Palli police station near the place where Akhilesh Yadav sat on a dharna was set on fire allegedly by party workers.

SP leaders, however, claimed that the police torched their own vehicle.

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