Rahul Gandhi says ‘ready to go alone’ after being stopped at Ghazipur border on way to Sambhal

Being the Leader of the Opposition, it is my right and duty to go there,” says Rahul Gandhi; Prohibitory orders in Sambhal have now been extended till December 31

With prohibitory orders in place in Sambhal, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped at the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) on his way to the district, a senior police officer said.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “The police stopped us from going to Sambhal. Being the Leader of the Opposition, it is my right and duty to go there. Yet I was stopped.”

“I am ready to go alone, but they did not agree to that either. This is against the Constitution. Why is the BJP scared? Why is it using the police to hide its failures? Why is it suppressing the message of truth and brotherhood?”

Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior Congress leaders reached the Ghazipur border in the morning where heavy police force was deployed and barricades put up to stop them from entering Sambhal.

Curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which were set to expire on Sunday, have now been extended till December 31 in Sambhal.

The Congress alleged that Sambhal violence was well-planned conspiracy by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and more such communal flare up can be instigated in U.P. before 2027 assembly polls. 

Also read | Sambhal: Another city split into green and saffron 

U.P. police placed barricades at various locations on the Delhi-Sambhal route and vehicle inspections have been initiated in every checkpoint. It led to massive traffic jams at different locations on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, especially at the Ghazipur border, which connects Delhi to Noida.

Sambhal District Magistrate on December 3 requested neighbouring districts to stop the Congress leaders before they entered the district. The District Magistrate has written to police officials in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and Amroha, appealing to them to intercept the Gandhis and other Congress leaders at the border. 

“It is to inform that Honorable Leader of Opposition and MP Rahul Gandhi is planning to visit Sambhal to meet families of those killed on November 24, incident. Sambhal district administration has issued prohibitory orders restricting outsiders from visiting the district till December 10. No outsider can enter into the borders of the district without seeking the permission of the competent authority till December 10. I request you to please monitor movement of Mr. Gandhi and make arrangements to him from reaching Sambhal in your jurisdiction,” reads the letter written by Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site.

Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24 as protesters gathered near Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel. Four people were killed in the violence and many more were injured.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published - December 04, 2024 11:28 am IST