LUCKNOW: Amidst the raging debate over "increasing intolerance" VHP workers kicked up a row by kicking a cow, which came in the way of the chariot specially designed to carry the urn containing ashes of Ashok Singhal for yatra in Lucknow.

The incident took place near Ram Bhawan in Hussainganj from where, the yatra began in the morning. Since the chariot built by altering a mini bus was unable to take a turn in narrow lane as the cow sitting near a garbage dump obstructed the movement, a few VHP workers initially tried to shoo the cow away.

Failing which, a few of the VHP workers kicked the cow, raising eyebrows of many as the RSS off-shoot has been boasting off working for the conservation and increasing of the cow population.

VHP organization secretary of Lucknow region Ras Bihari while talking to TOI not only apologized for the incident but also said that irrespective of the fact that whether the act was the handiwork of VHP workers or not, the very act was condemnable.

The yatra moved from Ram Bhawan to Peeli Colony in Aishbagh and after traversing lanes and by-lanes of the city reached the University Road where national vice-president and mayor Dr Dinesh Sharma offered floral tributes to urn.

Several sangh pariwar members from the respective areas came out and offered floral tributes to the ashthi kalash, VHP media in charge Ambuj Kumar Ojha said.

On the lukewarm response to the yatra, Ras Bihari said that all those who were informed about the yatra have come to offer their tributes.

Interestingly, the yatra was welcomed by national co-organization secretary of the BJP Shiv Prakash along with state leaders including party spokesman Harish Srivastava, state office bearer Anoop Gupta, media in charge Manish Shukla. State organization secretary Sunil Bansal who, though was in Lucknow, missed the yatra by a few minutes as he arrived at the party office a moments after yatra left for Burlington Crossing where it came to an end. The urn containing Singhal's ashes would be kept in the room at the residence of VHP worker Pradeep Bhargava, RSS Vibhag Karyavaah Prashant Bhatiya told TOI and added the yatra would again begin for a forward journey until Ayodhya on Friday morning from Pradeep Bhargava's house.

Interestingly, the room in which Singhal's ashes have been kept is the one in which Singhal used to reside during his visit to Lucknow, Bhatiya further said.