Uttar Pradesh, December 4:
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were on their way to violence-affected Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, were stopped at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Noida on Wednesday.
Rahul Gandhi was seen exiting his vehicle and engaging in a discussion with senior police officials, though he was not allowed to proceed any further.
The situation at the border became chaotic as Congress workers gathered and clashed with the police, preventing the leaders from advancing. Barricades were set up along the road, blocking traffic as the Congress convoy reached the border.
Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka Gandhi and MP Imran Masood, left Delhi around 10:15 AM and arrived at the border by 11 AM.
Sambhal district authorities had requested that neighboring districts prevent the leaders from entering the area. The District Magistrate (DM) issued instructions to the officers in Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar to stop the Congress team at the border.
In response, the Uttar Pradesh Police set up barricades and began vehicle checks to avoid any disturbances. Significant traffic jams were reported along the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
The Congress leaders were attempting to visit Sambhal despite restrictions that had been placed to stop outsiders from entering the district. These restrictions followed violence that erupted after a survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid. A petition had claimed that the mosque site once housed a Hindu temple.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (formerly known as Section 144) was invoked in Sambhal, banning gatherings of five or more people.
In addition to the Gandhis, five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh were also planning to visit Sambhal.
Congress leaders condemned the measures taken by the Sambhal authorities to block the entry of the party delegation.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, criticized the move, calling it “a dictatorship.”
“We were going to Sambhal peacefully, but now we’re being stopped. There was violence in Sambhal, which is why we wanted to visit. We have the right to go there,” Ramesh stated.
Ajay Rai, the Congress Uttar Pradesh chief, described the action as “an attack on democracy” and accused the police of blatantly misusing their power.
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