Congress MLA Ajay Rai, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the violence during a march on October 5, 2015, was given a warm welcome by his partymen when he arrived here on Tuesday after getting released from jail.
Mr. Rai was arrested in connection with violence and arson during the march by seers and other local leaders against police action on protesters opposing ban on immersion of Ganesha idols in the Ganga river.
He was later booked under National Security Act for allegedly conspiring the violence.
The Allahabad High Court on March 29 quashed the order of the Varanasi district magistrate invoking stringent NSA against Mr. Rai, terming the imposition as “illegal”, and granted him bail on April 12.
Following which Mr. Rai was released on Monday after being lodged in Fatehgarh jail in Farrukhabad district for 208 days.
- PTI
