Firebrand Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi arrested

Firebrand Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi was today arrested while she was on her way to hold a Mahapanchayat on the eve-teasing issue in Paharpur village under Shergarh police station area.

The district administration had denied permission for the Mahapanchayat and put up barriers all along the route from Bareilly, but the Sadhvi somehow reached the village where she was arrested from a temple, police said.

She had given a call for the Mahapanchayat following reports that some 100 girls had stopped going to school in Paharpur and adjacent villages because of eve-teasing in the past one week and failure of police to check it.

SP (Rural) Brijesh Srivastava said seven eve teasers have been arrested.

The Sadhvi was later released in Mirganj police station area on the Bareilly border after sometime, the SP said adding five luxury vehicles in the cavalcade of the Sadhvi which tried to speed past the barriers were impounded.

A case of damaging government property and attacking police force against five persons has been lodged.

There have been reports of rise in cases of eve-teasing in the area and the matter had also been reported to the police.

Some 100 girls in the area had stopped going to school in the past week because of these incidents and the Hindutva organisations had come out in support of the girls and their families.