Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief, Ajay Kumar Lallu, has said that he has been put under "house arrest" by the Uttar Pradesh government because of sustained protests by his party against the Hathras rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl.
"In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has crossed all the limits of anarchy," Lallu said.
"The police came to my home at 1:30 AM last night. They tried to break the door of my house. When I wake up in the morning and I ask them why are they at my place, they tell me a case has been registered against me. I am asked to appear at the Hazratganj station in Lucknow on 9 October. They hand me over a notice," he told NDTV.
"After 4 AM, I am told that I am under house arrest. Is it wrong to protest against injustice? I am not being allowed to leave. What is it that the UP government wants to hide?" he added.
Lallu further said that this action was prompted by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi's will to go to Hathras. The Congress leaders were stopped at Greater Noida this week by the Uttar Pradesh Police and not allowed to proceed to meet the victim's family. In the scuffle with police that followed, Rahul Gandhi fell to the ground.
"The government is scared. Nobody is being allowed to go. I want to ask Yogi ji... if Rahul ji wanted to go to Hathras on Thursday and he and Priyanka ji said they will go alone, even then they were thrashed by police. Congress workers were injured. They did not hurt Rahul Gandhi... they have hurt the feelings of women whose self-esteem Rahul ji was trying to protect," he said.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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