Sec 144, police cordon, bar on landing: UP stops Oppn
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh moved swiftly on Monday to bar Opposition politicians from reaching Lakhimpur Kheri where eight people died a day ago, clamping prohibitory orders, denying permission to top Opposition leaders to land in the state and asking Punjab to stop its residents from reaching the flashpoint.
The state government moved into action hours after violence broke out in the remote district on Sunday after a car linked to Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra allegedly mowed down four farmers. Enraged local residents then set fire to vehicles and allegedly killed the others, said police.
On Sunday night, the state government deployed police and issued orders under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code – which restricts the movement or assembly of four or more people – and stopped Opposition politicians from moving from Lucknow to Lakhimpur Kheri. This included Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Chandra Mishra.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later defied the police cordon left for Lakhimpur, only to be detained outside the district border at Sitapur by a large police force. She was detained and sent to Provincial Armed Constabulary guest house in Sitapur, along with party leader Deepinder Hooda and UP Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu.
“The leaders of various political parties were stopped from going to Lakhimpur Kheri in view of the prohibitory orders imposed by the district magistrate,” BD Paulson, secretary, home, said.
In Tikunia– where the violence first broke out at 3pm on Sunday – the police also enforced section 144 and suspended phone internet services at 8.30 pm on Sunday. The suspension continued on Monday.
The state government also issued a set of controversial orders and letters, prompting the Opposition to allege that the administration was trying to throttle democratic protests.
First, UP additional chief secretary for home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi, asked Lucknow airport authorities to not permit the flights of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder S Randhawa to land at the airport.
Both Baghel and Randhawa are Congress leaders and were planning to visit Lakhimpur Kheri.
“Are all citizen’s rights over in Uttar Pradesh? Do we now need a visa to go there? Don’t BJP leaders go to other states when there are incidents there?” Baghel asked.
Calling it a “murder of democracy”, Randhawa said: “We will go and meet the families of farmers who lost their lives and ensure justice for them,” he said.
Later in the evening, Randhawa and Punjab Congress working president Kuljit Nagra were detained at Saharanpur while they were on their way to Lakhimpur Kheri.
“Why are Congress leaders not being allowed to enter UP to visit the bereaved families in Lakhimpur? Our deputy CM and MLAS have been detained at the UP Haryana Border. I condemn such tyranny being done by the UP Govt,” Channi said in the evening.
Second, the UP state government shot off a letter to the Punjab chief secretary Anirudh Tewari, urging him to not allow any one from the state to go to Lakhimpur Kheri.
Third, the Punjab director of civil aviation wrote to Awasthi, requesting permission for Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s helicopter to land in Lakhimpur.
Around 2pm, the UP home department wrote back, denying permission.