Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained on Friday 19 July, near Varanasi by the police when she was on her way to a village in Sonbhadra district, where 10 persons were killed on Wednesday in a shootout over a land dispute.
"I only want to meet the affected families, whose members have been mercilessly shot dead. A boy of my son's age was shot at and is lying in hospital. Tell me on what legal basis I have been stopped," Priyanka Gandhi told NDTV.
The incident caused many leaders and other Twitter users to react. Many asked what the UP government is scared of.
Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the state has a lot to hide.
Priyanka who was sitting on a protest in the region has been detained at Narayanpur by police citing that Section 144 of the IPC is active in the region.
President of All India Mahila Congress Sushmita Dev said every violent incident is met with the misuse of 144 by Yogi Adityanath.
Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao also tweeted saying that UP is witnessing a complete breakdown of law and order.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called it an ‘autocratic arrest’.
Activist Shabnam Hashmi said it is a shame. She tweeted, “This government can’t stop the killers. Priyanka Gandhi going to meet the families, who have lost their near and dear ones, has been arrested.”
Political commentator Minhaz Merchant said the detention is “unnecessarily heavy handed.”
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