Construction work at Manikarnika Ghat remains suspended in Varanasi on Monday, January 19, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI
Eighteen persons were detained on Monday (January 19, 2026) when they tried to stage a protest at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi alleging that the statue of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar had been damaged during ongoing renovation work.
The protesters, believed to be from the Pal community, gathered at the Ghat and chanted anti-government slogans. “They were indulging in sloganeering without permission. When the mob was stopped from raising slogans and holding protest demonstration in a public place without permission, they started abusing and pressurizing the police. 18 persons have been arrested in this regard and legal action is being taken,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Kashi said. The protesters alleged that the police used force to disperse them when they tried to submit a memorandum of their demands to the district administration.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav questioned the police action on the lathi charges. “Police detained a protest by the Pal community at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi and arrested more than a dozen protesters. BJP supporters will now say that this message is also from AI. Someone please explain to them: not everything is AI. The public is asking BJP, ‘What are you doing when everything is done with AI?’ Has BJP commissioned an AI government in return for kickbacks? The public is even questioning how someone in a position of responsibility could tell such a blatant lie about a bulldozing demolition that was streamed live on Facebook. Is it possible that someone used AI to film such irresponsible and blatant lies? Only an AI could tell such a “moral lie” about attacking religion and culture. A truly religious person is a God-fearing person,” Mr. Yadav wrote on X, indirectly attacking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the most sacred cremation grounds in Hinduism, believed to provide ‘moksha’ or liberation from the cycle of birth and death and cultural significance for devotees across the country. It hit the headlines after some people and social media users alleged that the structure was demolished during the redevelopment, while the administration accused individuals, including Congress leaders, of allegedly spreading AI-generated images and misleading information on social media regarding the Ghat redevelopment work in Varanasi.
Samajwadi Party members stage a protest against the vandalism of Mata Ahilyabai Holkar’s statue at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi on Monday, January 19, 2026 | Photo credit: ANI
Published – 19 Jan 2026 21:52 IST
