Indian police used water cannon to disperse protesters rallying outside the office of Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, in the state capital Lucknow.

The demonstrators, mainly women, were protesting against rising violence in the state. Two teenage girls were raped and hanged there last week.

Yadav is from the regional Samajwadi Party that suffered heavy losses to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent general election.

Yadav has been under fire, with critics holding him responsible for lawlessness in his state and the failure of police to investigate sex crimes.