Police stop Rahul, Priyanka at Meerut border, cite curbs
MEERUT: The UP police on Tuesday stopped Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from entering Meerut, where they were scheduled to meet the families of the people who died during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.
The Congress leaders were stopped near Partapur police station. “We asked the police to show us the order but they did not show any order for stopping us and told us to return,” Rahul told reporters later.
The Gandhis, along with another Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, were scheduled to meet the families of Mohsin, Asif and Nasir of Bhoomia Pul area of Meerut, who lost their lives during the protests on December 20.
Circle officer (Brahmapuri) Chakrapani Tripathi said the Congress leaders were stopped due to imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC) as the situation in Meerut was sensitive. “They were told that they will be held responsible for any deterioration of the law and order situation in the district due to their visit,” news agency PTI quoted a police statement as saying. Both were conveyed that the police will have no objection if they wanted to visit the district peacefully. They both went back on their own, it added.
According to the people familiar with the developments in the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi told the police officer that they were just three persons and Section 144 would not be violated. However, Tripathi said they were almost a group.
Later, senior state Congress leaders Imran Masood and Pankaj
Malik met the victims’ families in Bhoomia Pul area. A group of Congress leaders also sat on a ‘dharna’ to victim Mohsin’s home in Bhoomia Pul to protest against police action.
The Gandhis will again try to meet the families on Wednesday, PTI quoted a Congress spokesperson as saying. Priyanka Gandhi had on Sunday met the families of some of the protesters who died in Bijnor.
Seventeen people are reported to have died in Uttar Pradesh during protests against the new citizenship law.