New Delhi:
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped from entering Meerut while they were on their way to meet the families of victims of CAA violence. The UP cops stopped their cavalcade near Paratpur, a border area of Meerut and sent them back to Delhi citing the law and order situation in the area. It should be noted that Section 144 of the CrPC is already in force in Meerut. On Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had gone and met the families of victims killed in the clashes in Bijnor. Some say that the Sunday visit was unannounced and hence Priyanka managed to visit the city. However, the Meerut visit was announced earlier in the day and the police stopped them at the border.
The Congress hit back at the UP officials and asked ‘what are they hiding’. The Grand Old Party took to Twitter to explain its side of the story. “Shri @RahulGandhi & AICC GS Smt. @priyankagandhi were stopped outside Meerut by the Police. They offered to travel in a group of 3 people, however, they were still stopped. They were on the way to meet families of victims of the violent anti-CAA protests in UP (sic),” the Congress said. Rahul Gandhi also slammed the UP Police and said that, “We asked the police if they have any order, they didn't show us any order but they told us to go back.”
On Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi visited Nahtaur area of Bijnor to meet families of the two persons, who died in the recent violence over the new provisions in the law. UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu told PTI that the party general secretary also interacted with people in the area. Bijnor was one of the districts in Uttar Pradesh affected by violence by anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters who hurled stones and brickbats at policemen, and torched some vehicles.
