VARANASI, Jan. 26 -- Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders led by Chandauli MP Virendra Singh staged a dharna after they were prevented from visiting Manikarnika Ghat. The protest concerned the alleged breaking of a statue of Devi Ahilyabai, which was on a platform wall of the Ghat, currently undergoing a redevelopment and renovation project. The district administration has categorically denied the allegation, stating that the statue is preserved at the office of the department of culture and will be re-installed once the renovation work is complete. A delegation of the SP leaders led by MP Singh was preparing to go to Manikarnika Ghat from his residence in Tagore Town. Meanwhile, a police team led by assistant commissioner of police, Cantt, Nitin Taneja, reached the Tagore Town Colony and asked the MP not to go to the Ghat. Singh insisted on going to Manikarnika Ghat and sat down on the road in protest. Former minister Surendra Patel, former Varanasi South candidate Kishan Dixit, National Equal Party convener Shashi Pratap Singh, Prakash Jaiswal, and a number of SP workers participated in the sit-in protest. Singh alleged that the BJP is spreading confusion regarding the incident of vandalising Ahilyabai's idol. The SP leaders wanted to visit the spot to know the reality on the ground. However, he was stopped as he started for Manikarnika Ghat. SP leader Surendra Singh Patel demanded that SP members be allowed to inspect the site. In another case, Samajwadi Party leader Lalu Yadav was also not allowed to go to Manikarnika Ghat from his house in the Nakkas area under the Kotwali police station area of Varanasi. After about 10 minutes of scuffling, the SP leader was forced back inside his residence. He was also scheduled to visit the Ghat on Sunday in connection with the ongoing row. Lalu Yadav objected to the move, alleging that the statue of Ahilyabai, a centre of faith, has been vandalized and that SP leaders are now being prevented from visiting the site. SP MLC Ashutosh Sinha was also not allowed to visit the ghat, he added. Following the incidents, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: "Is it AI or reality?... The SP delegation has gone to Kashi just to find that out. Trying to stop them is like 'Chor Ki Darhi me Tinka.' The BJP is another name for destruction," alleged the SP chief....