Reign of terror in UP: Rahul, Priyanka manhandled, arrested, released later; Congress workers lathi charged

The Congress launched an all-round attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government on Thursday over the rape and death of two Dalit women which occurred in less than 48 hours in the BJP-ruled state.

Scores of Congress activists protested in different parts of the state while Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi walked on foot towards Hathras after UP police stopped their convoy on Yamuna Expressway.

UP police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the Congress workers at Yamuna Expressway and in other cities.

Before embarking on the foot march, Priyanka Gandhi said, “The incident was big injustice and what the govt did after that in cremating the body was a bigger insult...Unless the government is shaken, woken up, it will not do anything to ensure women’s safety”.

As news of Rahul Gandhi marching on foot started dominating the headlines on TV channels, the Yogi government tried to stop them by using force.

“Just now police pushed me, lathicharged me and threw me to the ground. I want to ask, can only Modi Ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking,” said Rahul Gandhi.

The treatment meted out to the former Congress president sparked outrage on social media. Senior journalist Swati Chaturvedi said, “If Rahul Gandhi can be treated like this by the UP police, imagine the way they treat the people of UP. Imagine how they treated the Hathras victim & her family.”

While Rahul and Priyanka led the charge in Western UP, several Congress leaders and activists protested in Lucknow. They were arrested by the police when they were on their way to meet the governor.

Not only in Lucknow but in Mirzapur also, hundreds of Congress workers were arrested and detained by the UP police.

Rahul and Priyanka were taken to an unknown place by the police after being arrested. However, NDTV claimed that they were taken to Buddh International Circuit guest house in Noida. They were later released and escorted back to Delhi, according to latest reports.

According to an analyst, the day’s events showed that buoyed by Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, a determined Congress is willing to take on the might of the BJP both in UP and in Delhi.