Eighteen persons were detained on Monday, January 19, 2026, at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi. They tried to protest claiming that a statue of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar was damaged during redevelopment work. The protesters, believed to be from the Pal community, gathered and chanted slogans against the administration. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kashi, said, "Without permission, they indulged in sloganeering. When the mob was stopped from raising slogans and staging a sit-in protest at a public place without permission, they became violent and started abusing and pushing the police. In this regard, 18 persons have been detained and legal action is being taken." The protesters alleged the police used force to disperse them as they tried to submit a memorandum to officials. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav responded, alleging police used lathi charge. He wrote on X, "Police lathicharged the protest of Pal community at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi and arrested more than a dozen protesters. Now BJP supporters will say this news is also made with AI. Someone please explain to them: not everything is AI. The public is asking the BJP, ‘What are you doing when everything is being done with AI?’ Has the BJP, in exchange for commissions, outsourced the government to AI? The public is even questioning how someone in a responsible position could tell such a blatant lie about the demolition by bulldozer, which was livestreamed on Facebook. Could it be that someone used AI to videotape such irresponsible and blatant lies? Only AI could tell such a ‘moral lie’ about an attack on religion and culture. A truly religious person is a God-fearing person." Manikarnika Ghat is a sacred cremation site in Hinduism, said to grant 'moksha' or liberation. The place gained attention after allegations of demolition during redevelopment. The administration accused certain people, including Congress leaders, of spreading misleading AI-generated images on social media about the Ghat redevelopment. The situation remains tense as officials investigate the protest and the social media claims.