A doctor at a government women's hospital here was arrested on Saturday for assaulting a nurse, police said.
A police officer said the incident took place in the Kabeer Chaura locality and that a case had been registered.
Eyewitnesses said that the doctor lost his temper and beat up the nurse while she was assisting him in a caesarian operation.
Soon after the incident, nurses in the hospital staged a sit-in, demanding the doctor's suspension.
The nurses said they will send a petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also MP from Varanasi, if the district administration did not take steps to ensure their safety.