Over 350 Sena activists arrested

Varanasi: Over 350 Shiv Sena activists were arrested from different parts of the city on Sunday as they proceeded towards the Kashi Vishwanath temple to offer `jalabhishek’ en masse on the occasion of Shivratri, police said.

The arrests were made from Luxa, Sigra, Ansphatak, Ram Nagar and Mugasarai police circle areas.

The district administration had banned en masse `jalabhishek’ and prayers at the temple and Shringar Gauri adjacent to the Gyanvapi mosque.

Meanwhile, over one lakh devotees offered `jalabhishek’ and prayers in different Shiv temples, including world famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, Mritunjaya Mahadev, Til Bhandareswar Mahadev and Onkareshwar Mahadeo, amid tight security arrangements.

The administration had made security arrangements with deployment of 12 companies of the PAC and the RAF and over 100 civil police, police said. - PTI