LUCKNOW, July 22 -- As the protests in Delhi intensified over NEET paper leak on Tuesday, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav detained by police, the Uttar Pradesh units of the two parties launched impromptu protests in Lucknow and several other cities across the state by evening. The developments also prompted heightened security at the Vidhan Bhawan, Raj Bhavan and the chief minister's residence in Lucknow. Delhi Police forcibly removed Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Akhilesh Yadav from the protest site outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on Tuesday. Soon after news of the detentions in Delhi reached the state, senior SP leaders and workers gathered outside the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Lucknow. Led by SP state president Shyam Lal Pal, Rajpal Kashyap and Juhie Singh, they raised slogans against the Centre and the state government. As protesters attempted to march ahead, police stopped them, leading to jostling between two sides. Several SP workers were detained and taken to Eco Garden in police buses. Some workers alleged they were manhandled during the action. Several party workers were seen in the buses with their clothes torn and ripped. Police said nearly 500 SP workers were taken into custody from different parts of the city for allegedly obstructing traffic and violating prohibitory orders. The detained were shifted to Eco Garden protest site and other designated facilities. The agitation triggered massive traffic snarls across central Lucknow. Congestion was reported on the Hazratganj stretch and quickly spread to adjoining routes, including Kaiserbagh Crossing, Burlington Crossing, Subhash Crossing and the busy 1090 Crossing. The Congress also staged a protest outside Jan Bhavan in Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who was on his way to Saharanpur, changed his programme and headed towards the protest site, where he was detained by police and taken to Eco Garden, a senior leader said. Several Congress workers who later assembled at Jan Bhavan were also detained. "We have been arrested for raising our voice for students' rights and abandoned at Eco Garden without basic facilities. This reflects the BJP government's authoritarian approach," Rai said in a statement. Elsewhere, in Varanasi, SP workers staged a dharna outside Banaras Hindu University gate, holding placards and raising slogans. Some students reportedly attempted to join the demonstration but were persuaded by members of the university's proctorial board to return to the campus. Police later detained the protesting SP workers after asking them to clear the road, citing traffic congestion. In Etawah, SP workers led by state secretary Gopal Yadav organised a dharna at Shastri Chowk. In Bulandshahr, Congress leader Archana Panda, wife of former MLA Guddu Pandit, left for Delhi with party workers, saying they wanted to express solidarity with students protesting over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Meerut also witnessed protests by both opposition parties. SP workers led by state secretary Vipin Chaudhary demonstrated outside the collectorate and submitted a memorandum addressed to President through district officials, demanding an impartial inquiry into the alleged police action on protesters in Delhi and protection of democratic rights. Anticipating demonstrations, the district administration deployed heavy police force at the collectorate. Meanwhile, several Congress workers from Meerut, including Seva Dal state secretary SK Shah Rukh and Naveen Gurjar, left for Delhi to join the protest. Senior Meerut Congress leader Manoj Tyagi, who was accompanying Rahul Gandhi during the protest in national capital, was among those detained by Delhi Police. In Gorakhpur, over 100 Samajwadi Party workers were detained after staging a protest and blocking traffic at Shastri Chowk on Tuesday evening. Senior police officers later conducted a foot march through sensitive areas to review security and maintain law and order. In Kanpur, Congress and SP workers held separate protests over the alleged police action in Delhi. While Congress demanded an inquiry and the resignation of Amit Shah and Dharmendra Pradhan, SP workers burnt an effigy of the Union education minister....