Being kept in illegal confinement, not allowed to meet legal counsel: Priyanka Gandhi

Hours after a case was registered against Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi at the Hargaon police station in Sitapur under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Congress leader has issued a statement saying that she has not even been served with any order or notice. "I have not been produced in front of a magistrate or any other judicial officer either. I have also not been allowed to meet my legal counsel who has been standing at the gate since morning." the statement reads.

Adding that she saw the portion of the paper on social media in which 11 persons have been named in the FIR, Priyanka Gandhi pointed out that 8 of those people were not even present at the time she was arrested. The police have even named the two persons who brought her clothes from Lucknow on the afternoon of October 4.

Her complete statement can be read here:

"I have been placed under arrest as verbally informed to me by the arresting officer DCP Piyush Kumar Singh, CO City, Sitapur, under section 151 at 4.30 am on the 4th of October, 2021.

At the time I was arrested I was traveling within the district of Sitapur, approximately 20 km from the border of dist Lakhimpur Kheri which was under section 144 however to my knowledge section 144 was not imposed in Sitapur.

I was, in any case, traveling in a single vehicle with four other persons, two local congress workers, Mr. Dipinder Hooda MP and Mr. Sandeep Singh. No security car or congress workers other than the four persons accompanying me were with me.

I was then driven to the PAC compound, Sitapur accompanied by 2 female and 2 male constables.

Having been brought to the PAC compound, no further communication regarding the circumstances or the reasons , or the sections under which I have been charged have been communicated to me by the UP Police or administration until now- 38 hours later at 6.30 pm on the 5th of October.

• I have not been served with any order or notice. Nor have they shown me an FIR.
  

• I have myself seen a portion of a paper on social media in which they have named 11 people- 8 of whom were not even present at the time I was arrested. In fact they have even named the two persons who brought my clothes from Lucknow on the 4th afternoon.

• I have not been produced in front of a magistrate or any other judicial officer either.

• I have also not been allowed to meet my legal counsel who has been standing at the gate since morning.

Presently I am not going into the details of the completely illegal physical force used on my colleagues and me at the time of my arrest as this statement serves merely to clarify the continuing illegality of my confinement at the PAC compound in Sitapur, UP.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra"