Lucknow, Oct 7 (IANS): The BJP on Wednesday sought an explanation from the Uttar Pradesh government after photographs of policemen torching vehicles in Varanasi emerged in the media.

Seeking to know why the policemen were setting motorbikes on fire in Varanasi during a clash between police and seers who were taking out a protest rally - Sant Pratikar Yatra - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the Samajwadi Party (SP) government was in the dock over the issue now.

Referring to the pictures, clicked by a national newspaper's lensman in Varanasi during the violence on Monday, Pathak said someone would have to answer why the state police was doing so?

"It is a big disclosure. The chief minister who also holds the home portfolio must come clean on the issue," Pathak said while accusing the ruling SP of trying to frame BJP leaders and seers on charges of disturbing public order.

The photographer, who clicked the pictures showing policemen burning vehicles is currently undergoing treatment after being seriously assaulted by police during the protest procession.

He claimed that first police tried to stop him from clicking the pictures and then beat him up and smashed the camera. But the pictures were later retrieved from it.