Mulayam taken into custody

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was on a dharna to protest spiralling prices of food items, was on Tuesday taken into preventive custody even as police lathi-charged protesting party workers here.

Yadav was detained when he was sitting on a dharna at the city's main Hazratganj crossing, police said. Samajwadi Party had called for a protest against price rise at all district headquarters for today.

Samajwadi Party workers also clashed with police which prevented them from taking out a march to the district magistrate's office as part of their protest, they said. Police then baton-charged them.