PRAYAGRAJ, March 23 -- Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad on Monday staged a sit-in protest demanding the removal of a mosque and other alleged encroachments from the historic fort associated with Nishadraj Guhya at Shringverpur in Prayagraj.

The protest was staged on the Handia-Kokhraj bypass near Shringverpur, where the minister and his supporters blocked the national highway, leading to a major traffic jam. Vehicular movement on the busy route connecting Kanpur and Varanasi remained disrupted for over two hours, causing inconvenience to commuters.

Earlier, Nishad, who also heads the Nishad Party, reached Shringverpur to mark Nishadraj's birth anniversary. The party has long been demanding the removal of a mosque and other e...