New Delhi: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped by police at Ghaziabad on Wednesday while attempting to visit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, where five people were killed in violence linked to a mosque survey. This marks the second time in a few days that a Congress delegation has been prevented from entering the area.
The Gandhi siblings tried to visit following an earlier attempt by a Congress delegation led by Ajay Rai, which was also blocked. Tensions have been rising in Sambhal after a local court ordered a survey of the Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque, after a plea claimed a temple existed at the site before it was demolished by Babur.
Violence erupted on Sunday during the second round of the survey when a mob clashed with police, injuring 36 officers and damaging vehicles. The Supreme Court intervened last week, halting the survey and calling for peace and harmony.
Rahul Gandhi, an MP from Rae Bareli, protested the police obstruction, asserting, “As leader of the opposition, it’s my right to visit, but I am not being allowed.” He criticized the government’s actions, saying, “This is the new India, where constitutional rights are being ignored.”
Priyanka Gandhi questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s handling of law and order, saying, “If such situations cannot be managed here, how can the BJP boast of controlling law and order?”
