New Delhi: In view of upcoming festivals, various entrance exams and ongoing farmers’ protests, Lucknow Police on Wednesday imposed restrictions under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) till November 8 to maintain law and order and ensure adherence to COVID-19 rules.Lucknow Police imposes restrictions under Section 144 of CrPC till November 8 to maintain law & order and ensure adherence to COVID rules in view of upcoming festivals, various entrance exams and farmers' protests pic.twitter.com/fBd1jImHhE— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 5, 2021Prohibitory orders under Section 144 authorises the executive magistrate of any state or territory to prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area. Any person can be arrested for “unlawful assembly” and booked for engaging in rioting.In the order, the police said, “Navratri will be celebrated from October 7-14, Dussehra on October 15, Eid/Barawafat on October 19, Diwali on November 4 and Bhai Dooj on November 6. COVID-19 is still having an impact on the normal lives of people. So, it is important to be vigilant during the festival period.”The restrictions come against the backdrop of the Lakhmipur Kheri incident, in which eight people were killed, including four farmers and one freelance journalist. The four farmers were killed in the incident, while four others died in subsequent clashes.Also read: Before Murder Charge, Ashish Mishra Had Begun Campaigning as Potential UP Polls CandidateProtesting farmers have said that the deaths were caused by an SUV driven by Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son, Ashish Mishra. However, the minister told NDTV that neither he nor his son was present at the spot when the incident happened.Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Charanjit Singh Channi have left for Lucknow, from where they intend to go to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the families of the victims of the violence. Lakhimpur Kheri is just 130 kilometres away from the capital city.According to reports, Rahul Gandhi was stopped at the Delhi airport while trying to fly to Lucknow.On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh police detained Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and at least 10 others, to “prevent the commission of cognizable offences”.Several other political leaders including AAP leader Sanjay Singh, Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu and Deepender Hooda, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were detained by the UP police while trying to visit the district.