The curfew, which was imposed in various areas of Varanasi on Monday evening over violent protests, has been lifted.

In a joint statement, divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and district magistrate Rajmani Yadav stated, "Curfew was imposed for only two hours in areas under four police stations to disperse the crowd and maintain law and order situation. It has been lifted. The section 144, which is already in force, will be enforced in an effective way."

The violence erupted around 3.30pm when the 'anyay pratikar yatra' taken out from town hall park was on its way to its culmination point at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

The stone-pelting generated a minor stampede. The mob smashed a fire-tender which reached the Godowlia intersection to drown the flames at the police booth there.

Divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn established that the curfew was imposed in four police station areas in the city.

On the night of September 21, the administration had applied an Allahabad high court order and refused permission for immersion of a Ganesha idol in the Ganga, leading to protest. The police resorted to a lathicharge in the early hours of September 23 in order to disperse the protesters. The immersion later took place in Laxmi Kund (a pond) nearby.