Varanasi: Woman Sets Bus on Fire on Being Stopped From Meeting PM Narendra Modi And UP CM Yogi Adityanath; Watch Video
A woman in Varanasi set a Volvo bus on fire after she was not allowed to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the former's birthday on Monday.
Varanasi, September 20: A woman in Varanasi set a Volvo bus on fire after she was not allowed to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the former's birthday on Monday. Vandana Raghuvanshi, secretary of the Poorvanchal Jan Andolan Samiti, has been campaigning for a separate Purvanchal state. Raghuvanshi said that she had been demanding a Purvanchal state to be carved out of Uttar Pradesh and wanted to meet Modi during his visit on Monday and Tuesday, but was stopped by the police. PM Narendra Modi Launches Projects Worth Over Rs 550 Crore in Varanasi
Raghuvanshi on Monday went to the Varanasi bus stand at around 11 am and boarded a state-run Volvo bus that ran to Lucknow, said Dinesh Kumar Singh, superintendent of police (city). She then asked the passengers present inside the bus to deboard after which she sprinkled petrol inside and torched it, Singh said. She also distributed pamphlets at the bus stand that mentioned the demand for a Purvanchal state.
Video: Woman sets bus ablaze on not being allowed to meet PM Modi
The bus has been partially destroyed even as fire tenders were called to the spot. According to reports, it took more than an hour for fire tenders to douse the blaze.
Raghuvanshi said that she had tried several times to meet Modi and Chief Yogi Adityanath during their visit, but wasn't allowed. She added that she had also observed an indefinite hunger strike from August 15 to press for her demand. But the strike ended when she was forced-fed after her health condition worsened.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Varanasi on Monday and Tuesday and offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. He also met schoolchildren at Narur village, with whom the PM celebrated his 68th birthday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2018 09:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).