Apprehending violence, the Rampur district administration on Wednesday banned a proposed rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party and promulgated Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code in the town, official sources said.

The BJP rally was aimed at lodging the party's protest against the removal of Jan Sangh leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay's statue from a town square.

The administration also detained top party leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Lalji Tandon, state president Kesri Nath Tripathi and former state BJP unit chief Vinay Katiyar.

Party media in-charge Narendra Singh Rana said BJP workers would hold demonstrations across the state to protest the statue's removal.

Earlier report:
Tension over demolition of Jan Sangh leader's idol